5/10

Pacha and Yani woke me yesterday morning with an armful of handmade Mother’s
day cards. Pacha wrote a note saying that she would ‘be my slave’ for the
day…My gosh – is that what she thinks I want the most? Is that what she
herself dreams of - having someone as her 'slave'? Is the human condition
really that geared to controlling and dominating others?

Anyway, Mother’s Day is always hard for me. It is yet another day that
encourages people to buy more stuff (even though it apparently started as a
declaration of Peace and Goodwill). As though the amount of money you spend
correlates to the love you have for someone. It makes me feel more cynical.
Like all the other ‘buy more stuff days’ like Easter, Christmas, Halloween –
I feel generally confused and a little bit grumpy and try to keep convincing
myself (and my children) with the mantra: ‘it’s all about celebration, it’s
all about family, it’s all about community’. There is so much we need to
reinvent in our culture.

But, since I am the re-elected president of the school P and C, I was
obligated to organise a Mother’s Day Stall, so kids could buy things to give
to their Mothers. I came up with a slogan: ‘Love your Mother, Love the
Earth, Love your Self’ – but didn’t have the courage to put it on a banner
for the stall. There were already rumblings of disapproval (not openly
declared) among some of the parents about using ‘recycled’ gifts (“I don’t
want my kids to buy ‘old’ stuff”). We did the best we could do, preparing
potted plants as well, keeping the prices very low ($1), and setting up a
craft table to go along with the products.

Recently I feel like I am being constantly reminded that my ideas are too
new, innovative and radical for mainstream society. It seems my experiences
and skills are a set back to ‘fitting in’; speaking other languages or
living in other countries regarded as somewhat suspicious. Just being who I
am; of free will and independent mind, asking questions, sharing thoughts,
challenging assumptions, encouraging positive change, seems to make some
people feel threatened. It doesn’t seem to matter that my deepest motivation
comes from love. Oh well, I can only be true to myself and continue on,
asking for humility and compassion to guide the way…

So, Pacha was my ‘slave’ for Mother’s day and Yani lasted for about half an
hour. We enjoyed another glorious day here with this lovely autumn weather,
taking Ollie the horse for a walk, visiting neighbours, picking up horse
manure (the kids sell it in bags on the roadside for pocket money) and
generally enjoying our slow life.