The Way Life Should Be

Qué Linda Está La Mañana.  That’s the start of an old song from Mexico. I say that today. Almost out loud. Before the sunrise.  Before the storm picks up again.  Before my power outage is restored. Before the cars slosh through the wet streets.

 

I love the mañanas. They are so peaceful.  The Way Life Should Be.

 

You can hear the birds chirping.  The crickets creaking.  And, even the train’s whistle miles away. The Way Life Should Be.

 

In the morning, I am closer to nature. Closer to the peace that eludes far too many of us during the day.  Or evening. The Way Life Should Be.

 

In the mornings, I can soak in prana.  Breathe the fresh air. Feel the cool breeze on my bare arms. Wiggle my toes in the sand — without burning them. Or ground my feet in the grass, and feel the dew tickle the souls of my feet.  The Way Life Should Be.

 

Being at one with nature seems so inherent. Yet, nature is almost invisible, today, in my culture. We shut out the nature that is all around us. We destroy our forests and jungles and enclose ourselves inside concrete blocks with windows that are sealed shut. Curtains and blinds further insulate us from our natural surroundings.

 

People prefer to spend hours and hours in the mall, or surfing for sales electronically.  Our fields are tended by mega-monopolies. Not mom and dad.

 

As we evolve into supra-material beings, we set aside our personal lives. And our interpersonal lives. Relationships are fleeting. Or flittering. Or twittering. We no longer stay with our flocks. Our herds are herd-less.

 

Our youth seek the packs to stay connected. So they join gangs. Or armies. Or navies. Or seals. They carry weapons. Our kids must pass through metal detectors to go to the classrooms.

 

In my state, you can vote with a gun license, but not a student ID.  War and murders are headlines and story lines in the media, but you have to do a google search to learn about philosophy, love, or how to plant a garden.

 

In some neighborhoods, you can buy beer around the corner, but no fresh vegetables.  It’s easier to join the military than get a full time job.  In many big name big box stores, you can buy ammunition, but not an organic apple.

 

I never understood why Adam and Eve couldn’t eat the apple. Nor why Cain killed Abel. Or was it vice versa? Or am I off a generation? I never understood the bible. But I understood that it sounded like paradise. Adam and Eve … naked … surrounded by nature.  In the beginning. The Way Life Should Be. Qué linda está la mañana.