there is no stopping Thanks and Giving, even the day after

The day after

with most of us remembering the food gifts of yesterday

in this USA

where most people were given special foods

and then feasted to overload and more

because we are still filled with our food baskets

as even the homeless - in Venice CA and elsewhere

ate 3 platefulls and still came back for More again

and smiled or groaned

even if without a room in which to sleep

but eat plenty we all did

TOGETHER.

Here, on the beachfront, a generous benefit provided

by many volunteers bringing MORE & more...

home-cooked delicacies nutritious goodies

to fill their own hearts with their giving

and knowing

that both giving and getting are at least

equal in filling life purposes, bodies, and self-esteem[s].

The day after

is just the same as the other one

without the filling of stomachs.

The remaining memories,

the left-over sensations in tummy, and some still have food stored

in plates hidden under benches

or deep recesses of refrigerators [“iceboxes”, of before].

And the rememberance that “Yes ! someone cares”

for “me” too and shares with me, too

and we are still plentiful even in these harder economic times

even with scary stories around each of us, yet still

we wont give up our treasured

traditions created to EAT and eat more -

to also share, that pleasure, be it small or huge,

with one ANOTHER.

The day after

to maybe even carry on these fulfilled ruminations -

keeping the positive alive

and the propaganda-fears so pushed on us, in remission.

The day after

we need to INTEND to continue

those good-will greetings, feedings, smiles, and openness

that emerge mostly when good food is given

yet that can continue when it is all digested and gone

and we can still be FAMILY with strangers,

the less-washed, the drunks, the crazies, the silent ones.

We can continue

to stay open in hearts and greetings

even without food-filled bodies

but still keep filled hearts and willing minds to be receptive

to any one

human or animal or insect or plant or any being in-on our earth

to keep CONNECTED, to stay attentive to more than just ‘me’,

to be alert and even sometimes

LOVING-like, courteous, cautiously-friendly-stlll, honoring any being.

The day after

is not different

not too late

to continue the feasting of friendship

at any level, be it light or more intense

not too late

to continue to honoring of all souls.

not to late

to remember who we really are:

all this is together.

even the day after

and the day after that one

and on and on and on

Delight also in This DAY AFTER that cycles on in impermanence forever.

delight in change

delight in strangeness

delight in playing with your fears

delight in nature’s tiny surprises

delight in your next food experience

delight in being here with me too.

[or just check your swarming-filled-with-thoughts-mind out to see what is cycling therein. ]

plus......below

[image of animals enjoying the feastings are at www.photosbyalexandria.com. go see....]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornucopia

http://www.answers.com/topic/cornucopia

http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/cornucopia_pagan_symbol_of_abundance

(c) maryjanie 2009

Did I really steal your jacket that cold night, friend ?

a real story that may ...or not..incriminate or embarrass me. I had to admit it and write to my friend that I had ...well read on and find out if you like story-telling....

Caught !

but by mistake...of course... I would never do this to YOU, especially after telling you how COLD IT IS OUTSIDE last night...
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR......rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

so I was saying...
how cold it was last night
how I did not bring a warm enough jacket when they switched me from indoors to parking monitor and then I saw you, and and you looked SO GOOD IN YOUR JACKET
that
later
I put my emergency 2nd jacket on what I THOUGHT, honestly !, assumed
was MY OTHER OLD JACKET ON MY WHITE HANGER in that tight closet
but since the thin coat I wore earlier was not there
[oh, I had cleverly put it in my car when I got the wild giraffe B&W not-thick-enough jacket out]
and since I had brought some of my own white plastic hangers when we were low of these in the fitting room that we all inhabit together...
and when I took MY to-use-in-an-emergency-only B&W jacket, assuming it was my other old thin black jacket under it,
and went to my car
and drove home
and then or until...the next morning
I found this thinnner-than-even-my-thin jacket
humped and wilted and crushed and dying
under
my fancy animal-like NEW B&W jacket.
and I smoked all the cigarettes you had saved and asked about - as I had not investigated the pockets for loose change
knowing I had little money, much less loose change
[and did you see that documentary, by the way ? wow, did you see the 9-11 towers go down ? ]
and so not having pilfered the pockets carefully, even now, I thought it might be good to take up smoking, tho I never have all these years prior to this opportunity.

oh, and there is more !!!!

I am scheduled to work there again, so I walked that thin jacket you seem to think so highly of and want back, all the way to the work closet we share at work.
No one home.
I went tumbling down to basement and rang bell persistently , knocked, rang dulled bell again, and yet no one answered down in the managers' office.
so I had to carefully WALK BACK UP STEEP STAIRS all by myself, with the stolen, ahem, I mean lifted, or rather taken, by mistake of course ! , that skinny black jacket with all it's contents intact
to my car again...

look up if you might be working tomorrow cuz I thought to maybe leave it outside the doors or in closet for you tomorrow, but NO,
you did it wrong
by not working tomorrow, the result is that you will freeze w/o your silly black jacket.
There is no work tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow either
so where I sit here now ...dejectedly..afraid to reveal my real name...
knowing you cannot decipher who I am by my story or my clever emails,
oh, I forgot to change my "psuedo-name" on top of email heading, oh well....
the story is
I will bring that old torn and ugly jacket back to you in a few weeks....even if I am not working,
because I come for other friends and coffee and visiting near there anyhow
and then
you can get your stupid jacket !

is this clear ?

my long story is not an apology, of course, because I did nothing wrong
except to write a very very very long accurate to every detail, almost, of what has happened so far, so when you inspect your jacket, then you will know it's true story - a real story - an honest story.....and you will treasure how many places and adventures it has been through without YOU.

anyhow,
if there is another way to get that rag to you, like if you are near here, let me know cuz I can bring it to somewhere, if it's not too far from wherever I am at that time and since I am coiming to an event there soon enough, I mean a few weeks is nothing to get upset about, right ? Not like I stole your cheap nylon top to keep it for some other purposes or to give to Joe instead ...

I may be no friend of yours, but I am friendly with that that that ....jacket
now

PS....I hope you have more than 1 jacket, even if it is not your favorite or a best-black-one either.



(c) maryjanie 2009