I sit here in my modest home, with my modest belongings and know that I am only a month away from bankruptcy.  I know that if I lost my job, or had some major illness, my little shop would disappear.  My shop doesn't pay the bills, in fact, I work my mundane job so that I can afford to throw some clay, make some jewelry and go out to various events around the local area.

I have a website and a shop site on the various sellerpages.  I might sell a few pieces a month, but for the most part, my personal business is not self-sufficient.  I've worked at the same job for nine years now.  I love my job.  It suits me.  I’m able to work a fully day and feel at least somewhat rewarded in helping others.

Because my job is online, I spend a great deal of time sitting in front of a terminal, with glowing screens and the rat tat tat of the keyboard being the most organic sound I hear all day.  I do this so that we can have our modest home and so I can pour myself into the creative outlet I call Sosanna’s Closet.

I would love to be wildly successful.  I would love to have people commission pots or order jewelry from me from around the world.  But at this point, I’m happy to get a few comments and maybe a few likes on Facebook.  I’m ok with having that I have.  I’m sure living like Beyonce or maybe getting paid what our government officials in Washington get paid might be nice, but I’m really OK with just having my simple life.

My needs are met.  I have bills.  I have debt.  But my lights are on and I’m not going hungry.  To me, having what you need should be a basic human right.  When we collect more than what we need, most see that as some sort of illness.

Let's look at hoarders for example.  The collect more and more and more until their house literally can fall down around them.  Their looked at a sick and in need of therapy.  They accumulate more and and more until the walls are piled high with items and you can no longer see the floor.  We send out cameras and create reality shows about these people.  We shake our heads and think how pitiful they are.

Yet, when someone collects more and more money.  We see them as some sort of success.  They cannot eat their money, or breathe that money. 

This is such a true statement to me.  Recent discussions in social media avenues have led to some of my friends complaining that THEY are paying for people who don’t want to work.  Or they are paying for healthcare for lazy people. Really?  The changes in healthcare hit me pretty hard.  Our deductible when up and our coverage down.  I’m pretty healthy so, I could handle the changes.  Plus, now there are some kids out there who are able to get health care.  I’m ok with that.  I’m willing to share what I have, though it’s not much, with those in need. 

People are not homeless because there are not enough homes…

A long time ago I was listening to a George Carlin stand up and he started in on golf courses.  He started talking about how homelessness is some abstract frame of mind and what these people really need are houses.  

NSFW - George Carlin on Homelessness

I've watched over the last 3-4 years, where Detroit has offered homes as low as $500 to encourage people to move back to the failing city.   They even started a campaign to revitalize the city by offering writers a free house!

Over the last few months I've watched the movie set “Zeitgeist” and found reference to The Venus Project.  Started by Jacque Fresco, the Venus Project looks at changing to a resource based economy.  We focus on sustainable living and natural resources.  We change our lives with other by changing how we work with one another.  We could end war and poverty if we just stopped looking at what we can own and start looking at what we can share.

Recently I had some shingles ripped up off my house from a wind storm.  I had someone come over and repair them for a dozen eggs from my hens and a homemade pumpkin pie. 

I’m not suggesting that we all head down to Wal-Mart with our basket of eggs to try to get an iPad.  What I am suggesting is that if we start locally.  Small and help our neighbor, live just might get a bit better for us all. Maybe one day, everyone will have an iPad, and no one will be hungry.

With that I send blessings for a more socialized society.

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(

Everyone one has a different point of view.  Over the past few weeks I've noticed that when people express those views inevitably someone is called a bully.

When one person takes a stand and questions why others are not in the same physical shape, she’s labeled as fat shaming.  When a fat-activist responds to her post with a similar post she’s tagged with thin shaming.  When someone shares a photo of a grocery cart full of garbage food she’s tagged as food shaming.

Pagans are notoriously known as being accepting people.  A quick search on Google finds that generally speaking most Pagans are pretty accepting of most people.  Gays, lesbians, male, female, most follow perfect love and perfect trust motto.  They live and let live.  For the most part.

That’s not to say there are not folks with their questionable views.  There are pagans who are racist.  There are pagans who are sexist.  Just as there are Christians, Muslims and all religions for that matter, who fall into these categories.  Each having their own view and believing they are correct.

Earlier this week a car pulled into our driveway here at the farm and two ladies stepped out.  I was standing at the door and hubby walked over to the fence where our dogs were doing mad.  The lady reached out towards my hubby and started to talk about Jesus.

As I watched my hubby shake his head side to side to indicate that we’re not really interested in what she’s selling.  I felt angry.  I felt attacked.  How dare this woman come into my driveway, on my property and automatically assume that I needed her to tell me about her God.

I agreed with his statement by shaking my head in the negative and they both got back in the car and left.  After they drove away hubby and I chatted a bit about the situation.  I asked him how he felt about them coming to our house.

 

From his view, an atheist, he felt they were arrogant and rude.  They didn't know who we were.  They didn't know what we believed and yet they felt that they had to come to our property and push their views on us.

Then I thought about their view.  What was their view exactly?  What did they think they were doing?  I’m sure neither of these ladies thought they were trespassing.  I’m sure neither of them thought that they were offending us.  Does that make them bullies? 

I try to treat others how I want to be treated. I try to be honest, work hard and do the right thing.  I don’t steal, or take credit for other people’s work.  I try to make quality products in my shop and charge a fair price.  I try to help other earthlings, be they two legged or more.

I believe that we should take the time to remember that even though I felt angry because they were on my property.  I have to remember the intent.  I have to remember that they were not really trying to attack me.  In their minds they were trying to save my soul.  We have people in this world that do intend to do harm.  They do intend to be hateful nasty people.  I don’t think that posting a photo of yourself online and challenging others to work out, or answering that challenge with a rebuttal of your own is in anyway hateful. 

People need to learn to agree to disagree.  Understand that not everyone has your views.  Some of those views will be different from your own, be it Pagan view or a Christian view.  We need to understand that no matter what our views are, inside of us we are all the same people.  We bleed the same.  We breathe the same. 

I’m reminded of Namaste.  Namaste is a greeting, it is like saying good day, or I bow to you.  There is the belief that there is a divine spark located within each of us.  That spark is said to dwell in the hear chakra. 

Gandhi defined it as the following:

Blessings

Sosanna

)O(

I've made many donations to Cindy and she’s always answered my calls when I pull Chihuahua mama’s out of freezing cold temps.   She’s there with a warm house and a comfy bed for all these misplaced little ones.  Cindy never turns away an animal and has always been there for these guys.  Most of the time using her own money to rehabilitate these dogs.  As long as I have known her she's always been there with open arms.

Over the past few years, with her health declining Cindy still continued to take in rescues.  She’s suffered through back and neck surgery as well as a cuts and scratches and still held on strong for the animals.

Earlier this week I got some sad news.  Cindy will be going in for a hip replacement and then spinal surgery before she has both knees replaced.  She and her husband feel that with this coming up it would be best for her to not only stop bringing in new rescues, but to also re-home the ones she has there.

For today’s Shelter Me, I’m offering much love to Cindy and her family and posting pictures of these dogs that she has available.  They are all fully vetted and ready to go to new loving homes.  Please take a moment to look at their pictures to see if one of these lovely animals, that Cindy helped get a new lease on life would be a fit for your home.  If you can’t adopt, please share.

For questions about a specific dog seen here or on the Adopt.a.pet site, please contact Cindy at:

Boykin Animal Rescue
Wilson, NC 27822
(252) 237-8963
cboykin001@nc.rr.com

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Ghandi

Namaste & Blessed Be

Sosanna

)O(