Maybe It’s Simpler Than We Thought?

Dear friend,

I was watering the plants we have in pots out front, before the heat of the day. Our neighbour walked past on his way to work. Over-the-ear headphones, nominally smartly dressed—you’ll see him more at home in a flannel shirt.

We’ve never exchanged more than “hello” or “good morning.” I don’t know his name, but I know he’s from New Zealand, that he and his partner bought their home before our area became more fashionable, camped out in one room and did the place up themselves, grew jasmine up the front, got a dog and now are young parents.

Also, that both he and his partner are shy, and it’s taken time for us to get to acknowledging each other.

I feel a great affection for them as a family, when I think of them—which is only when I see them. Even their dog likes to keep itself to itself.

We said good morning and smiled at one another.

Maybe it’s simpler than we thought?

Then I heard my name and turned to see another neighbour as she passed on her bike. From her voice I knew that she’d been fighting off a virus of some sort and was feeling tired that morning. She runs a shelter for vulnerable people that is funded by communist monks—I’m not joking. The monks’ strategy to fund community projects by buying property to help house the vulnerable has led to their capital increasing so they can give more away.

Our world is richer and stranger and more nuanced than the starvation-glut of our questionable information networks allows.

The richness of life, just in the few homes within earshot, is beyond the space our minds have left over from thinking about ourselves and our immediate concerns.

There’s so much distortion and distraction.

All of that shouting is noise.

You can safely turn it off.

Nothing real will be threatened.

What if it is simpler than we thought?

Cling to kindness.

Connect to the living energy within and all around us.

I remember when I was a teenager not liking Crocodile Dundee so much, except for that one scene where he first arrives in New York.

“Welcome to New York City, Mr. Dundee,” says his host. “Home to seven million people.”

“That’s incredible,” replies Dundee. “Imagine seven million people all wanting to live together. Yeah New York must be the friendliest place on earth.”

Till tomorrow

Love
Mikey