SIGNS OF SPRING

Tulip Tree in Bloom by Martha Slavin

A single bird, possibly a sparrow, wakes me up each morning singing its heart out and letting any female nearby know he's ready to build a nest. I think of the bush on the other side of the building that has been full of bird songs for the last month or so. As we walk by the bush, we can't see any of the birds though the leaves tremble occasionally. Their songs are lusty and make us smile. We look through the iron fence next to the bush and watch the dogs bark, race and chase each other around the dog park.

Later, standing at our large bathroom window, I can see two ducks paddling across Mission Creek. Their wake makes perfect Vs, reminding me of Winston Churchill holding up his fingers in a V for Victory during WWII, and later in the 1970s, the hippies raising their hands in a similar gesture for peace. I can hear the faint call of a Canadian goose disturbed by another's presence.

Across the street on weekends, the children's park is filled with the cacophony of babies, toddlers, and their families. We can't help but smile as a toddler splashes in a rain puddle or climbs up to the top of a rope ladder structure with a steadying hand from its dad.

On our residential street, we can hear these simple sounds and enjoy quiet moments watching life go by. Beyond our street is the continuous roar of a city. The rumble of the freeways, sounding like rushing rivers or waves breaking, continues into the night. The streetcars and emergency vehicles add clangs and sirens to the mix. 

While visiting a friend near the Carquinez Straits in the East Bay recently, I realized how much noise I absorb on a daily basis. In her backyard, I heard the birds chattering and that was all. The silence was profound.

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The work of one of my favorite artists, Corita Kent, a nun whose works became internationally well-known in the 1960s, still is relevant today. She was a teacher and printmaker and she used her artistic talents to speak out against poverty, racism, and injustice. We are in another tumultuous period in our history where it matters what we do and whether we want to be on the right or wrong side of history. I received an email recently from the Corita Center whose headline read: GIVE A DAMN. 

Don't you?

Check out the Corita Center website:

https://www.corita.org

Read Scott Ostler's piece in the SF Chronicle about Jackie Robinson and this administration's efforts to eliminate references to race/ethnicity/diversity:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/ostler/article/cancel-jackie-robinson-making-history-team-trump-20229893.php

Robert Reich's column today sent a shiver through my heart. Read it to see one of the possibilities which explain what is happening in Washington DC right now.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-159486715

After that, you will feel uplifted when you read this essay by Anand Giridharadas:

https://the.ink/p/the-opposite-of-fascism?fbclid=IwY2xjawJJdRRleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZNPNc0Uh7vnuf8Gf-qOrxUxM4hWcSQLfRTeZ8FHzg2ZNOsEe9mZ94Nz4w_aem_3YPpZnSCtHu7lRhR_vu-Hg