Bird Droppings November 19, 2011
Every day is a good day

Recently I had the great privilege of spending some time with three friends. These are people I have known for many years. Over this the next holiday week I will be driving nearly 800 miles on various assundery excursions. There will be a trip to Mercer University to pick up transcripts, possibly a trip to Georgia Southern University for graduate work, a side trip while going to Mercer to the Indian mounds in Macon Georgia, Warner Robins Georgia for Thanksgiving, and to Piedmont College to visit my granddaughter son and daughter in law and drop off papers from Mercer. I am not counting my side trips to Talawegee nursery and Thyme after thyme nurseries. Much of this time I will be alone driving and most of that time in my CD player I will be listening to either Carlos Nakai on Native American flute or an old new Neil Young CD, Live at Massey Hall, recorded in 1971.
In my travels many things pass through my mind, ideas for a paper I am beginning today for a graduate class, thoughts back to my meetings with my dear friends. But in the midst of this all was a passing thought my wife mentioned as I was sitting reading an email from one of my friends. She told me we all have kind hearts. I thought back to conversations we were having as friends a few days back that would have provided her with this insight.
An idea crossed my mind many times the past weeks. It is that of the medicine circle which is composed of four points of the compass. The points are as on most manmade compasses yet far more in meaning. For example in the North which is symbolizing earth and wisdom, in the South symbolized by fire and passion, in the West symbolized by water and emotions, and in the East symbolized by air and flight. I thought of four friends drawn together yet apart. Each knows of the other and by chance I had words with each recently. Each of my friends had passion in their lives. There was a passion I could see and feel for their work, family and those around them. I even at one point was sitting jotting notes to myself as to who fit each of the points. Who was the north or south, east or west of this medicine wheel?
So often my train of thought then wanders off and I find myself postulating over other ideas and pondering this or that. I found my way to Barnes and Nobles s yesterday to get a few books for my granddaughter, it seems Eric Carl has a new one out. Somehow I can do that probably in my sleep. Someday I might like to have my ashes sprinkled through a Barnes and Noble, even though they will get swept up by the nightly cleaning crew or maybe haunt a Barnes in Noble in the possible afterlife. I went looking as I do to my favorite sections only to find they were all shifted about. I finally found the Education rows of books and a bit later the Native American shelves.
As I looked always seemingly drawn to know authors I found a title that intrigued me. The book was Every day is a good day, by Wilma Mankiller. I had not seen this book in all of my travels and searching’s at Borders, Barnes and Noble and many other stores. It consists of dialogue between nineteen indigenous women on various topics. The book has many powerful words from these women. I borrowed today from the foreword written by Native American author Vine Deloria.

“The old Indian war cry, it’s a good day to die, bespoke of the courage and fearlessness of men in battle and indicated that life was not worth living if one approached it with too much caution. Freedom demanded the willingness to sacrifice everything to ensure personal integrity. But what of the long periods between wars and crises? What about the daily lives we seek to fill with substance?” Vine Deloria

The late Wilma Mankiller in her book proceeds to explore this through the thoughts and understandings of nineteen indigenous women from all walks of life. In a recent class we discussed the concept of multitasking and how women have been multitasking for thousands of years while men focus on generally one thing at a time. I look at a woman running for president and as Secretary of state in our own country. Wilma Mankiller was chief of the Cherokee nation for ten years until her health took the best of her.

“A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it is done, no matter how brave its warriors or strong its weapons.” Cheyenne proverb

My thinking has wandered today from four friends and an observation by my wife to the multitasking ability of women. Yet intertwined is a common thread a piece of the tapestry of our lives. My wife saw a common element in each of us as we talked and joked and retold old tales of childhood. Perhaps we are each part of the medicine wheel of life. A thought about each of us in different places each leading separate yet connected lives. I thought back to Wilma’s book title and how I was drawn to that Every day is a good day. I thought to multitasking and how so often we take for granted those who truly do keep the world in line and in order. I thought of my wife who so often is the guiding force in our family and always ready to hug one needing hugging.
Every day is a good day when we accept the premise that we are integral to that day and we each are only a portion of the day and so many more too are there interconnected and interwoven. I do think it is when we get focused to into our own that we lose sight of the good day. I do wish we each could hold all in harm’s way on our minds and in our hearts.
namaste
bird