BUILD IT BETTER
. . . little ants trying to take a hill
Tuesday Jan. 28, 2014
Another battle.
Another piece of work.
Another spin of this revolving door.
So much of work-world, family-world, community-world … and our observances of the whole-world, the real-world, the geopolitical-world, the economic-world seems just like that some days.
Nothing we can do will make it different.
We are just one ant in a very large anthill.
Really?
What do you see?
In my view, there are two ways to see that.
Well, many ways I suppose.
I choose two.
I view so much of what I do as connected to someone else, many someone-s, cannot imagine being unhappy. I get to make little changes, little influences, little disturbances regarding how this anthill works. I’ll make it work better. I’ll make a bigger better anthill.
I can disturb and alter the anthill. I may not get all the ants moving in a different direction, but I can be one. And one might become two. Two might lead a third and a fourth. Lead them in what? Thinking differently. Working differently. Raising consciousness about a better way for ants. More rights for downtrodden, down-on-their luck and underprivileged ants. More opportunity for all ants. More understanding – one ant to another. More tolerance, one ant to another. More fun. More laughter. More joy. More ants.
Make some changes in your anthill.
Go ahead.
The ants will be changed.
A little, or a lot.
That depends on what you – just one ant, do.
Really, we can take this hill. An uphill battle, sure, but that’s what ants and hills are for.
Mark Kolke
199,480
column written/ published from Calgary
morning walk: -10C / 14F, still dark but looking like a calm clear day shaping up; Gusta handled the black ice with much more respect today! … fresh air in our nostrils emboldens the day!
Reader feedback / comments always welcome:
Hi Mark, So very sorry for the lose of your friend. My husband & I lost a very good friend some years ago to cancer. We often remember him, the dear person that he was, when we have that great roast of beef with the lovely brown rich gravy or toast him when we have a wonderful bottle of wine, or remember the jokes that he would tell us. He is still very a part of our life only now he is missed a lot. Wonderful news of a growing family. Welcome to your new grandson. He is a very fortunate boy, MC, North West of Cochrane, AB
My condolences and congratulations in the same sentence. Your feelings are all over the place. It reminds us to live each day with gratitude and approach each other with love. Getting out of our 'heads' and into our feelings makes each day worthwhile and life not so scary, PC, Calgary, AB
Letting go. A very interesting phrase. To let something go literally means to not cling to it any longer. Letting go of oneself means to not care what anyone else thinks. Letting go of a trying dead end relationship or job means moving on. You are pretty much letting go of someone who dies the minute they take their last breath. But you never let go of the memories that you shared and neither should you. Each person who stakes a claim in our lives for whatever length of time has molded us and shaped us in some fashion. We cannot let go of that because it has become a part of us. We move on being the better person for having had them in our lives and the influence they exercised over us. Grief is a hard thing; it tears at the heart and the gut. A ton of tears helps me through the process of grief; but then I am a girl and we're supposed to be emotional so it's okay. Less so with men I think. Society puts too much pressure on you guys to be the big burly, keep it together pillars of our lives. Give that a rest my friend and have a good old-fashioned cry. It cleanses the soul. GW, soon to be Bon Wier, Tx.
It just goes to show how profound your resolve to write every day really is. Especially for those that care deeply for you. Imagine if Gary had? No, you can’t let go, you don’t need to. He will remain your friend, so much in the future will remind you of that, even your little grandson. Kind thoughts and a hug from across the ocean, CG, Cape Town, South Africa
It's been years since I had seen Gary. I would hear about him every so often but wasn't aware that he was sick. I wish that I would have been able to talk to him. He was a good friend to everybody. Take care Mark, DT, Onoway, AB
