LITTLE THINGS

I am on vacation. Like a lot of people, I woke up yesterday morning to see the horrific Images of the tsunami and earthquake devastating Japan. I learned of the explosion and potential meltdown of a Japanese nuclear power plant because there was not enough water to cool the reactor and 1000 s of people were being evacuated, some already exposed to radiation, and the situation today is no less dangerous, Perhaps more so.

From another part of the world, Saudi Arabia and Libya, came scary news of civilians being slaughtered by their ” leaders” and the real possibility of disruption of oil supplies with grave consequences globally.

I was sitting in a swimming pool feeling hopeless, that my world was spinning out of control. I saw a bee that had fallen into the water, struggling. I scooped it up with a handful of water and managed to move it to the sand outside the pool. I watched it stagger around, then begin to dry off it’s wings and, at last, fly away.

It made me feel better.

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15 Comments

  1. made me smile =) Funny how one small act of compassion elevates us, inspires us and calms us.

  2. Jane,
    i just read your posting, “LITTLE THINGS”. It’s was simple and to the point. It seems like these horrific events keep happening more frequently these days, it make one wonder if Gideons going to blowing his horn soon. And you scooping that Bee up from the pool to safetly, and has it fly’s away, just think what was unchanged in the world beacuse you saved that bee. sometimes the little things are really the big things in life that mean sometime!
    xo
    myke

  3. OOPS! so sorry for my lack of spell checking, i type rather fast sometimes! I hope you understood what i was trying to say !
    cheers
    myke

  4. Jane-

    What a huge heart you have, so heavy. Even if that bee came back to sting you, you know you still did the right thing…

    I guess that’s why they call it faith- because we don’t understand why. Something we just can’t comprehend. No logic or reason to it all.

    Try to have a nice vacation thru it all- and come back fightin’ Tiger!

    Jan x

  5. Hello Jane, enjoy some rest and time to the self and for the self. Was reading what Sofia Coppola was saying about her Fathers favorite quote
    “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” – Shakespeare. and I was reading what another quote “We are all tied to our destiny and there is no way we can liberate ourselves.” ~Rita Hayworth. Like a bee in water, or Japanese nuclear power plant our destiny is often in the hands of other people and other events beyond our own will and control. But
    from the script from the film “Lawrence of Arabia”

    Prince Feisal: Gasim’s time has come, Lawrence. It is written.
    T.E. Lawrence: Nothing is written.
    Sherif Ali: You will not be at Aqaba, English! Go back, blasphemer… but you will not be at Aqaba!
    T.E. Lawrence: I shall be at Aqaba. That, IS written.
    [pointing to forehead]
    T.E. Lawrence: In here.

    Sherif Ali: Truly, for some men nothing is written unless THEY write it.

    with love and care,

  6. Thank you. That was beautiful. With all of the National and World news, one can easily fall into a depressed state of mind. One needs to find their strength, see what he/she can do to help solve the problems great or small, act on it, but also find those little things that can inspire one to keep going on with positive energy.

  7. I thought of your wonderful/scary/horrifying movie about nuclear meltdowns when I heard of Japan’s dilemma; it’s the go-to image in my mind whenever the subject comes up, having seen that movie when it came out and being so affected by it. It must have been odd for you, having done that movie.

    My one consolation as I wait for “them” to fix the perilous circumstances, those useful, industrious people who save less useful people like me, is that it’s Japan. They’re so capable and civilised and I cannot wish them better.

    I’ve been thinking of one of my favourite pieces of English prose; the John Donne meditation that contains these wonderful sentiments: “No man is an island entire of itself…every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee.” Yes, indeed, eh, Jane? We’re all in this together and God save us.

    I love that you found something tiny and good to do amidst all the disorienting chaos in the world these weeks. I know that small efforts have ripple effects, too. You were in my realm, you with your bee; my world of small efforts to make me seem part of the better world.

    Have a lovely holiday, Jane. You deserve it.

  8. Cannot help but think of you, Jane, as yet another nuclear power disaster visits humanity. Thank you for your activism, intelligence, and care. This is the worst way to be proved right, but perhaps we can now wake up to our desperate quest for tremendous amounts of energy. We need to re-evaluate, cut back, conserve, and move to solar, wind, tidal and other sustainable methods.
    We also need to pay attention to the demands of worldwide population increase.
    Warm wishes to you and your loved ones.

  9. Such a poignant story of saving the bee..In a world that seems so helpless, even the small gestures of kindness can make us feel better..I feel so down with all the world turmoil and frightening events..We have to hang on and have hope..I’m sure the little bee is thankful:)

  10. Jane, your sensitivity to little creatures like that is one of the many reasons that I relate to you, have read your book, exercised to your DVD’s, and will read your next book.

  11. I love the last part of this blog. 🙂 Cool how everything tied together.
    I think when someone has compassion on a little helpless bug, it does tell alot about a person.
    You saving one of God’s lil creations says a lot.

    It would be so scary living in Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Japan right now.
    Nuclear power is so creepy. Why supply power by using something so unstable. Just one little thing goes wrong, and its disaster.
    And I didn’t even think it was possible for the earth to shift on its axis!

    Also, your blog “It Takes A Long Time” was extremely interesting.

  12. Thank you for putting this in perspective, Jane. I don’t understand why there isn’t more of an outcry about this nuclear threat. It is clear that Japan hasn’t been forthcoming about the crisis. Where they are saying radiation levels are small, U.S. reports from exposures to sailors aboard the U.S.S. Reagan indicate otherwise. This has always been the modus operandi of the nuclear industry. It is a business FIRST. One doesn’t have to see “The China Syndrome”, “Silkwood” or even “No Nukes” to refresh their memory, but it wouldn’t hurt. We have, in the U.S. the same G.E. reactors that are failing in Japan. It isn’t that it wouldn’t happen here because of a low-threat from a tsunami, we have threats from tornadoes, hurricanes and floods AT ALL TIMES. Those plants are insufficiently equipped to operate at low-energy levels. They are trying to cool them down with battery-operated generators and seawater. It’s time to be scared again, and not believe what “experts” are saying.

  13. beautiful and down to earth. thank you.

  14. It is so overwhelming all the misery in Japan.. hard to enjoy anything without thinking of those who are missing this very thing in Japan.

    I love what you wrote! Thank you. Great perspective as are some of the other comments.. thanks too.

    We have a mock polaroid we give out. It has a nice image and under it it says:

    “The little things?
    The litte moments?
    They aren’t little”.

    It is a quote by John Kabat-Zinn.

    We give it out to people so that they can stick it on the fridge or somewhere and remember the truth of this. We get great feedback…

    When you meditate a bit on the words it helps bring home that the little moments ARE our life. Best treasure each one.

    We are working on a big project encouraging people to do gratitude projects. The ‘polaroids’ are part of it.

    I hope the grateful bee goes on to a happy bee life.

  15. Jane, it is the little things in life that have become more important to me at age 57, of course I miss working for a fortune 500 co., the money etc.

    God bless you Jane, give me Jesus any day!
    Blessings and love to you…
    Joe

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