Lessons from dust

Travel can be fraught with peril or challenges. One prepares with preparation, research, packing, and the hope that such will enable a successful journey whether for business or pleasure. One also asks for blessing from the almighty. Trepidation about the potential for peril brings to mind: “All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

While we ultimately go to one place, the modern airport is a mixer. Folks arriving, going to their destination; others arrive to transfer to their destination, or take the next step to their destination. Walking through this airport, I notice my shoes are still colored with the red road dust we picked up on our travels. Only 4% of the roads in Uganda are paved hence our accumulation of dust. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

How big is Uganda? As a native Rhode Islander, I always find it interesting to put things in perspective. How big is Uganda compared to RI? 100, yes, one more than 99, and not just a round number. 100 RIs would fit within Uganda. 11 Massachusetts would fit. So that may help explain how we spent 20 days there and really did not see it all, no matter how much dust we collected. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

Uganda is one of the poorest countries in Africa. The country has been struggling to properly utilize their resources. 60% of the population live on an average $1.25/day. When one finds out that there is also 40% unemployment, that helps to explain. Each community has a street market. Street vendors sell many of the same items; mattresses, food & produce, hand crafted wooden furniture, welded steel gates & doors. All of these are also cleaned daily to wipe away the dust. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

Uganda is referred to as the “pearl of Africa.” Interesting image. Oysters make pearls. I quote: “The formation of a natural pearl inside an oyster begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritates the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant by encapsulating the interloper, thereby protecting itself. The mantle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell, and these concentric layers of nacre will eventually form a pearl”. To continue the analogy, the continent has provided Uganda with a varied landscape, from the savanna, across rivers and valleys to mountains. With resources (minerals in the ground), and wild animals (in natural environments). A speck of sand (or dust) can not create a pearl. That item can be expelled by the oyster. Dust however is accumulated by all visitors. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

One of the key resources available are the wildlife; giraffe, elephant, water buffalo, warthogs, chimpanzees, the mountain gorilla and a variety of antelope to name only a few. Viewing these majestic animals in their habitat is an amazing experience. They live off the land, or each other, that most of the time is pleasant and peaceful. They have life's basic needs to be busy about; food, shelter, caring for each other, and their young. Fortunate to be only a few feet away from a rather large alpha male silverback gorilla, we both took a deep breath, and listened to the jungle. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

Our travels, approximately 1800 miles over 20 days, provided me with a deeper understanding of how Uganda is “the pearl of Africa.” The people are so much like us. They desire similar things, a good home, opportunity for their children, they enjoy dancing, and singing, etc. Their opportunity by being born in Uganda rather than elsewhere presents a challenge for them. However, their spirit is good. They take things in due course. The sun will rise tomorrow. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

While traveling, I was surprised to find internet access much more prevalent than I expected. In a lull moment catching up on world news, an article in The Guardian caught my attention. It talked of the art curator who cleans Michelangelo’s David and who is quoted as saying about her work: “You know when you clean a bathroom, you clean and clean and think you’ve done a great job but then you spot some dust and wonder ‘where did that come from?’,” Cecilie Hollberg said on Monday. “This is what it’s like. Dust is everywhere.” “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

In summary, when you happen to travel, prepare & prepare, trust the process, look out for one another, there will be bumps in the road, this too shall pass, be watchful, the world around us is a wonderful thing. Be curious. Take some time to process it all. Approach life with the dust pan, gathering dust, and then moving to catch the next line, now smaller, then the next line, still smaller. Repeat and repeat. “All are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

Advice from the curbside

 I

The Christmas tree carefully took time to put up, to decorate, and far less time to remove all the ornaments, strings of lights, and put the tree on the curb

Middle aged honey bees work from the top down secreting wax from their abdomens to build the combs of the hive. Yes, they don't need the curb 

The youthful bees fly all over to collect the pollen to make honey, they have the energy for that. Smarts come with time staying above the curb

Real estate appraisers take the measures of each room, and walls, inside and out, to make their assessment of the residences appeal from the curb

The Peregrine 1 moon shot will run out of fuel before it can power its landing on the moon. The team will maximize testing opportunities as it flies well out of sight of the curb

Recognition of the two circles overlapping, mingling, in ways I would uncover from the breadcrumbs of the table of their conversation while sitting there on the old stone curb

  II

Be prepared for whatever life throws at you, whether dressing for the changing weather, or patiently waiting your turn, applaud their effort when you stand on the curb 

Follow curiosity where it can take you, willingly explore with the eyes of a 3 year old, flop to make a snow angel, and step back to check it out from the curb

Be helpful and leave a rake in its proper place, definitely avoid stepping on the tines to try and pick it up, it can quickly leave you down and out on the curb

Balance is what you do when walking along the edge of a narrow surface, prioritize is what you do to accomplish goals so you won't be left behind on the curb

Mind the words you say but don't be afraid to say what you mean, to add value, to help someone, to share the lessons you acquired walking along the curb 

Ben advocated religiously for work, folks remember “Industry need not wish” and should know he continued that sentence with “and he who lives upon hope will die fasting” upon the curb

So Sherlock, continue your work, taking the measure of the times, building from the top down, and bottom up, sharing the content in context, with the folks along the curb

This branch

 I

Cluster of kids playing, around the front yard tree, taking turns, trying to climb a low branch, failing to clamber successfully to the next branch

Green stems protrude tentatively? from the cold, brown earth; it is spring yet? or it this new weather an experience, a budding branch

The student theater group had set times within which to set the stage, to perform, and then to clear their set, props and all, to enable the judicial branch

Heated greenhouse served as the classroom for seed lessons, amidst the seedlings, beginning their own journey into the world food branch

Completed reading the collected works of my namesake, his perception and logic astounds some to this day, in awe of his prowess in the detective branch

Perhaps some of the family recipes passed down through the ages were really developed as means of survival to make the most of the food available to that branch

  II

I cleared a vine or two that had tangled themselves between the trees, it would have more caused damage if I hadn't clipped that branch 

Soccer is the beautiful game, even more beautiful when the team can move with, and play with the triangles, passing to the open branch

The grill flames blew out twice while cooking, the wind blustering with such force, the grill relit quickly, enough heat had built under the branch

Odd how the last time we had been to the restaurant had been for my aunts birthday, then we hear that she has passed, only two sisters left of mother's branch

We should be more careful with whatever we're talking about when little ones are around, they do listen, remarkably they will repeat what we have said about the branch

Density and affordable housing are incompatible pairs, they are good enough for them to be elsewhere, as long as they do not get built on this branch

On the first day of spring, all the major papers have dire headlines, significant action is required, or climate change will make life a real challenge on this branch

a tree on the Franklin Town Common Apr 11, 2023

sherku: life lessons

Everyone
Has a story
Each one full of
Memorable
Life lessons

catching up to what was written but stayed in the file cabinet since Sep 26, 2019

sherku: lesson

today’s lesson
you travel some place
different yet
all seems familiar



What is a sherku?

His legacy

The finesse in pitching
A horse shoe and always
Measuring twice to cut once

What is a sherku?

In memorium: Armand Joyal