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The woodpeckers in our lives...

8/13/2018

16 Comments

 
by Gwen M Plano
I have a fondness for the Noah's Ark cartoon below, which I stumbled upon years ago. If you live in a wooded area, you know how pesky a woodpecker can be. They have a way of destroying an otherwise serene day with their incessant pecking on the sides of your home. I’ve tried one gadget after another to keep them at bay, but nothing seems to work. So, the bird and I coexist.

Today I thought of the Ark cartoon when I read the following statement by Jennifer Egan, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author: I’m happiest when apparently mutually exclusive states can somehow coexist. 

I’m pretty sure she was referring to differing opinions and perspectives and not to irritating birds. But, truthfully, don’t we all have woodpeckers in our lives? They may not create holes in our houses, but they surely disrupt our day. And, horror of horrors, each of us may be someone else's woodpecker!

I’ve been thinking about my personal woodpeckers, the real ones outside in the trees and the figurative ones who might be neighbors or elected officials or Heads of State. The heightened divisions between people and countries give me pause, especially when I realize I might be contributing to it.

Like the Noah cartoon, we have to find a way to live peacefully on this beautiful crowded planet of ours. And so, I’ve created a silly mantra.  It is, the woodpeckers and I are one. A few months from now, I'll let you know if it's helped me become more loving or if I found more woodpeckers instead. ☺  Have a fabulous day.

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16 Comments
Harmony Kent link
8/13/2018 02:11:40

Funny cartoon and lovely sentiments. Thanks for sharing, Gwen. Have a fabulous day too :)

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 04:50:48

Thank you, Harmony. A Monday Morning chuckle for sure. ♥

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John Fioravanti
8/13/2018 05:52:53

A very interesting analogy, Gwen. I'm sure I drive some people to distraction. Finding a way to co-exist peacefully seems more urgent these days since the scariest days of the Cold War. I hate that our societies have become more divided against each other. I like the mantra. Thanks for your insights and enjoy your day!

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 16:30:10

Thanks so much, John, for your comments and your support. I hope you had a wonderful day. :)

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Vashti Q link
8/13/2018 09:03:50

Hi, Gwen! Some woodpeckers are dangerous, judging by the Noah's Ark cartoon. I have a couple of woodpeckers in my life (figurative) and like you, I've tried everything I could to coexist with them. But it's impossible when they don't want to get along with you, so their pecking has become 'white noise'. But I would never allow a couple of people to deter me from getting along with everyone else. Great sentiment. And you're right, 'the woodpeckers and I are one'. <3 xx

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 16:32:13

Thank you, Vashti. We're all a work in progress, and time is much too brief to be fighting with the woodpeckers. :)

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Jill link
8/13/2018 09:22:40

I love that cartoon, Gwen! Working in a cubicle environment, I'm familiar with the woodpeckers. Thankfully, I have my earbuds. :) Great mantra!

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 16:33:24

Thank you, Jill. Earbuds are a great solution. Big hugs...

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Jan Sikes
8/13/2018 10:04:39

I love the cartoon, Gwen. And you are so right about co-existing. On the crowded planet of ours, we all have to make concessions for our own peace - whether it be woodpeckers or other humans. Great analogy and post.

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 16:34:58

Thank you, Jan. You are so right....we need to make concessions for our own peace. Big hugs...

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D.L. Finn
8/13/2018 10:43:43

I've never seen this cartoon Gwen, it made me chuckle. Never had a wood pecker tapping away on our house, but definitely on trees outside. I can't image how loud it must be in the house...lol. What a great new mantra to be one with the woodpeckers. You had me pause for a moment wondering if I was someone's woodpecker. I quickly realized I am--and coexistence is perhaps the only and best answer.

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 16:38:42

Thank you, Denise. I love the cartoon. It's hilarious and captures our challenges well. Coexistence is the way, though we humans are great at the opposite. Hugs...

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John Howell link
8/13/2018 13:53:38

Great observation on being someone else's woodpecker. As I sit here in the pre op area waiting to go into surgery, it gives one a thought to ponder. Yeah, I am one with woodpeckers too. Nice job

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Gwen Plano
8/13/2018 16:40:24

Oh, John, I suspect you are in surgery now. Time for more prayer on your behalf. Blessings...

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Wendy Scott link
8/15/2018 01:51:43

Gwen, I see you more as a dove than a woodpecker!!!

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Gwen Plano
8/18/2018 13:22:53

Thank you, Wendy. I certainly love doves a lot more than woodpeckers. ♥

Reply



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Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. ―Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning


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