Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Finding my way forward

Romanesco broccoli
Isn't this a beautiful plant? It's a fairly new (at least to me) cross between cauliflower and broccoli, called Romanesco broccoli and looks like a fractal to me. That link from Wikipedia tells me this:
The pattern is only an approximate fractal since the pattern eventually terminates when the feature size becomes sufficiently small. The number of spirals on the head of Romanesco broccoli is a Fibonacci number.
I find that to be incredibly interesting, and since I've actually eaten this plant, I can also tell you that it tastes a little more like cauliflower to me than broccoli. I took this picture last Saturday at the Farmers' Market. Since I tried to grow this plant during our springtime warmth, I was sure impressed with these guys. Mine almost immediately bolted, and I've since learned that it doesn't like a lot of heat and direct sunlight, so farmers around here grow it in the fall.

A week has passed since the election, and I'm feeling less fragile, but still can find myself weeping at unexpected times. It's part of the grieving process, and I'm pretty good at learning how to cope on a daily basis. I have decided not to allow myself to be bitter. Maya Angelou said this:
You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn’t do anything to the object of its displeasure. So use that anger. You write it. You paint it. You dance it. You march it. You vote it. You do everything about it. You talk it. Never stop talking it.
So I'm talking to you right now. I've decided to start giving a monthly allowance to two deserving organizations that I hope will help to mitigate the denial of climate change, which is a real threat to our world stability. Although I'm old enough that I won't see the worst of it, I fear for the young ones.

And I'm wearing a safety pin on my clothes. I read in another blogger's post about the first effect she experienced of wearing her safety pin. She is an elementary school teacher, and one of her students asked her about it. She said that it is to let people know that they can talk to her about anything and feel safe. The child said to her, shyly, "I didn't want anybody to know, but I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, and I have no money." The teacher suddenly realized why this student had been struggling in class, and she immediately took him into the cafeteria and bought him lunch. She also arranged to get him into the program for disadvantaged kids. Maybe he's homeless, I don't know, but that safety pin gave him a chance to talk about his hunger.

But it's just a tiny little symbol that means little in the scheme of things. Actually giving money to those organizations made me feel a whole lot better!
:-)

19 comments:

  1. I sat next to a third grader at lunch today. She told me about her grandfather dying. It's important to let children tell their stories.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, children should speak up in a safe environment to people they trust.

    ReplyDelete
  3. B told me yesterday that she heard there's a broccoli shortage. Can that be true? I like your two ideas to ... go forward, as you say.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a great idea to donate to those organizations!

    it looks like the safety pin will help many people, including children. Wonderful idea.

    ReplyDelete
  5. The safety pin worked a treat. Tears here.
    Yay you, and yay the teacher.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I didn't know what the safety pin meant. Now it makes sense. I saw a twitter person with a safety pin. You're having a rough time coming down after this election. I hope you get down from the loss very soon. Good move to support a climate group.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful story about the safety pin. Thanks for sharing DJan.

    I've never tried Romanesco broccoli, but it looks beautiful. I'll have to look for it at the market.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That fractal spiral does look neat! And if it also tastes good, great.... I think it's good to actually do something, the future depends on us.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have been wearing a safety pin, but decided today not too. I encounter so few people for whom it would make a difference anymore, and every time I pinned it on, it reminded me of sense of loss and grief I am trying to overcome.
    I like Maya Angelou's words. Use the anger. Talk the anger. Good. I now feel I have permission to continue to act out my anger. Respectfully, of course. I am trying very hard to be respectful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am glad you are feeling better. I think there are needs everywhere, we just need to look around and be kind. My husband decided to fund supplies for elementary school kids that cannot afford crayons, pencils etc... he is a very kind person. His next donation will be for those kids who go home hungry on weekends. It is sad when kids just eat at school.
    Doing things to help others and the next generation makes us all feel better.:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hadn't heard about the safety pin - and I love that it helped that child. The fact that so many children are going without breaks my heart.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the story about the adult that helped the child. I'm going to try and be more helpful - and yes, donate and volunteer at organizations that help people.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I posted about it just now; there is such a horrid marginalization going on for anyone who isn't 'alt-right'. I find it appalling.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Maya Angelou is one of the persons I would have loved to have spent the day with. What an amazing woman she was who cut right to the chase with brilliance and caring.
    I wear my pin daily and the story about the teacher was wonderful. So far no one has asked me but I carry extra pins with me in case they do and might want to join.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Maya Angelou is absolutely right. I don't intend to shut up!

    And I love that hybrid plant...

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've had this too, I like it with cheese sauce.

    ReplyDelete
  17. The romanesque is described as a cauliflower here and is quite expensive but much better looking than an ordinary cauliflower. I have not heard of the wearing of a safety pin but what a simple idea that has the potential to help someone.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have never had Romanesco broccoli, but like both broccoli and cauliflower! The *safety pin* seems like an interesting idea. I will be glad to wear one.

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.