Cracked But Not Broken

THE EARTHQUAKE last Tuesday in Italy is yet another example of the fragility of existence.

I created digital art (left) for Earth Day and am re-posting it now, suspecting but not knowing to what degree humanity plays a role in agitating earthquake prone zones.

Warring factions disregard how interconnected the planet is and how exploding bombs in one area can destabilize the underground in another. In this age of conflicts, our earthly home can seem as breakable as an egg shell being tapped by a multitude of spoons. (Postscript September 3, 2016: See how fiddling beneath earth's crust to produce oil and gas also plays a role HERE.)

The loss of precious life, and the historic buildings that survived the ages yet now crumbled into ruins, is heartbreaking. A tourist in Italy once, I was awed by its beauty, historic importance and strong resilient people. May they find strength now and support from around the globe.

Later in the week I took a solitary walk through Kwomais Point Park in South Surrey to clear my thoughts. Birds were chirping in the forest and, for the moment, everything seemed right with this part of the world.

Boundary Bay is at the path's end. The sun brought sparkle to the water that recently changed from gray blue to greenish and more tropical aqua hues. Perhaps this has something to do with warmer sea temperatures and how algae is growing. You can read about it HERE.

A sweet lingering fragrance from a forgotten bouquet was at a railing overlooking the scenery. People like to get married at Kwomais Park this time of year and I wondered, since relationships can be fragile too, if the bride and groom together will find the integrity, compassion, humor and resiliency needed to withstand the challenges sure to come their way.

I visited Elgin Heritage Park with my husband at the end of the week. This was a great place to to see the seasonal changes. Summer is clearly on its way out and autumn is beginning.

A sailor who found no breeze to move his boat pedaled rather than paddled along the bordering Nicomekl River.

A spider caught in a sunbeam was rebuilding its web yet again.

Continuing our walk throughout the park it seemed to me that, yes, there are cracks in life but the spirit does not have to be broken.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit OUR WORLD at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

A Bucket Full Of Laughter For Us All In 2014!

A HILARIOUS new twist on the old Rumplestiltskin tale by the Brothers Grimm had me laughing in my seat this weekend.

The Pantomime was at the White Rock Players’ Club over the Christmas season. It was a nice way to finish off 2013 and made me realize that I want to laugh more in the New Year.

Humorist Mark Twain once said, "Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand." To me his words resonate like a battle cry over real and imagined foes.

When I was little I feared a boogie man under my bed. My mother would assure me there was no such thing. She looked under the bed with me and in the closet to make sure the room was free of monsters so I could sleep peacefully. As I grew away from her protective care and assurances I came to realize life was far scarier than I imagined as a child. People die (my mother included) suddenly before their time and many suffer due to illnesses, wars and natural disasters. There is violence towards non-human life as well. Mankind orbits the galaxy with the beasts and a blanked out map. In search of meaning, incomplete and competing conclusions are met with discontent.

So when does the laughter jump in you ask? Fret as I might I have never found that worrying about anything has improved a single situation. Complex realms of unsolved mysteries are, indeed, fascinating places for the mind to wander. But sometimes letting go of the nightly news to revel in a hardy laugh is what the doctor ordered. I am not talking about a tepid little titter. I want to roll over with glee. I want my sides to ache. I want to venture into the silliest corners of existence and give the frown a tug upside down. The joke is on me if I do not take advantage of the ironic, surprising and comedic moments.

Satirist Will Durst had the inside scoop when he said, "Comedy is defiance. It’s a snort of contempt in the face of fear and anxiety. And it’s the laughter that allows hope to creep in on the inhale.”

So happy 2014 to all! I did not take many pictures during the play so hope the stand-in smiley pail I found in my garage amuses you and that the tears you shed in the coming year will be from laughing uproariously.

Visit Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more BC scenes.

To see more sights from around the globe visit Our World at the sidebar.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

The Rise & Fall Of Heaven & Hell

SOME SAY HEAVEN and hell are both right here on earth and you can certainly see why ... from the wars mankind perpetuates and has forced on innocents throughout the ages to the awe-inspiring beauty of the planet. And from the nurturing aspects of Mother Nature to her indifference when she casually shifts and an earthquake or tsunami causes enormous suffering.

When contemplating these opposing worlds represented by two words beginning with the letter "H", it is clear to see that existence is as rife with ups and downs as a seesaw in some bizarre playground. Most of us avoid the extremes and get stuck in the middle trying to stay on the upside.


While some fear fire and brimstone in the afterlife others envision angels and harps. But it is in the land of the living that good and evil really play themselves out. And while some folk have a knack for bringing hell down into heavenly places others do well at lifting heaven back up out of hell.


Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

This post showcases the letter "H" for heaven and hell. If you think words are fun and enjoy playing with the alphabet, visit ABC Wednesday.

Future Up In The Air

MY WORLD is also your world that we share and will officially celebrate on April 22nd. This yearly homage to the natural environment started in 1970 and has had a growing impact on our attitudes towards the globe. Earth Day is a sign we are learning more about the green jewel we call home and our vulnerabilities in it.

We are awakening to recycling and preservation needs and paying more attention to the dangers of pollutants and global warming. As we strive to take charge of the issues, some matters are under our control while others are not.

Not only must we contend with the natural evolution of earth, we must also deal with manmade disasters. One of our biggest battles on the can-do list is to end war and its use of weaponry. Pummeling our gorgeous globe with explosives and bombs disrupts the ground that sustains us and sends destructive vibrations throughout the planet to perhaps hasten potential earthquakes.

The picture I took when visiting a hilltop village called Montmartre overlooking Paris last year reminds me that the globe is a perfectly balanced orb spinning in space amid meteorites, stars, suns and worlds. Its course could change at any moment like the ball the boy is whirling. Although Earth will likely continue its galactic path, how long humanity remains onboard is up in the air. Our voyage could be extended significantly if we stop pounding the foundations of the vessel that has swept us up on its miraculous journey.

Explorers can find more sites from around the globe at My World.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Unpredictable Puddles In Our World

THE ENTIRE WORLD MUST BE SHAKEN by the unfathomable destruction caused by the 8.9 magnitude quake in the coastal area of Japan and the subsequent tsunamis that swept away everything in its path. Houses and cars looked like toys in the grip of the monster wave that spread across the Pacific Ocean. My sympathy went to the victims as I watched the televised images in horror from faraway coastal BC. Occurring only weeks after the earthquake in Christchurch, NZ, it is yet another tragic reminder that life can change in an instant. The fragile nature of our existence is all too clear during such times.

Parts of coastal BC that are not in my area were included in the tsunamis aftermath warnings. Such events remind me some seismic experts say a major destructive quake will likely happen in our lifetimes in BC. It seems trivial now that just last week my thoughts were only on spring during my visit to Crescent Beach in South Surrey. According to my gopher-esque shadow (pictured above) and the engraving in a rock about low tides, the warmer season is near.

I was far from imagining an earthquake or a wall of water rolling indifferently over homes, people and animals. In my world, the sun cast a harmless blanket of silver sheen over unruffled waters. The sunshine and calm were an exception to the chilly rain and gusty winds we experienced most of the week.

Some grasses were not as frail as they looked. Their flexible stems helped them survive the winter.

I was glad that the weather-beaten beach would soon be regenerated.

There was barely a breeze to move the slender grasses.

Their deceptively delicate natures were both elastic and sturdy as steel.

Puffs of clouds hung like faint cotton balls on the blue rim of Semiahmoo Bay.

The sky, receding water and rocky shore were peaceful but unpredictable. From a distance I saw large puddles had formed within the gooey sand.

I envisioned my daughter's Penelope Puddle creation, with her little umbrella, fitting into some idyllic Crescent Beach scene. That old saying, every path has its puddle, has special meaning in my world where the fictional character frequently comes alive in my mind as I wander.

I was blissfully unaware of the Japan earthquake to come. I could not foresee what would happen on March 11th. But as stories from suffering and shocked victims emerge, the dignified strength and quiet resilience of survivors is clear. Much like slender grasses trampled on a beach, it seems safe to predict the people will reenergize and reconstruct to tread brighter paths in the future.

Explorers can find more sites from around the globe at My World.

British Columbia On Edge

IT IS STUCK IN THE BACK OF many BC minds. People are vaguely aware that the Pacific Northwest is definitely not immune to a major earthquake similar to those that happened recently in faraway places.

I can’t remember the year but I do remember the fear when I was a little girl at home in Langley and a significant earthquake struck. I awoke to a thunderous roar followed by the sense of being swept up in a huge ocean wave. Those few moments were beyond frightening. I got to my mom’s bedroom just as the furniture and dishes started to rattle.

My memory is fuzzy but I think my mom told me to stand under the doorway arch. The second the shaking stopped, I ran into her arms for comfort. We waited silently … as if making a single sound would stir some underground beast. Several minutes and a few small tremors later we breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking back, the primary feeling was helplessness. It’s like a car skidding in the snow. Although you know you have to go with the flow, you might avoid a crash depending on how you steer the wheel. In an earthquake situation, where you choose to stand, crouch or run might stop a chunk of cement, wood or electrical wire from hitting you on the head. When the earth starts to rumble, a split-second decision could save your life as opposed to freezing with fear or hiding under the blankets.

BC life includes knowing we are two seconds to two hundred years from the “big one”. Experts suggest there is a likelihood that it will happen in our lifetimes.

Although we have some control over our own destinies and can buy a kit and prepare with water and a battery operated radio, there is minimal personal power should the ground beneath us dissolve. And when I hear leaders say they are fully ready for the “big one”, it makes me think of the cold war era when school kids were told to seek shelter under their desks to avoid the atomic bomb ... a minor solution to a major threat.

The outcome of whether we live or die is in our hands to some extent. But I wonder how much fate plays a role, especially when I hear of the BC family that moved in fear of earthquakes only to perish during an earthquake in another land.

A natural disaster can hit at any time. But since I can’t enjoy beautiful BC moments by pondering on the probabilities for long, I have tucked away these unsettling thoughts into the cornered webs of my mind.

When Too Many Leaves Fall

THE EARTHQUAKE CATASTROPHE in Haiti, the boy soldier carried to his final resting-place in a coffin draped with a Canadian flag, the random death of an aid worker in the wrong place at the wrong time all bring to mind our fragile existence. Whether by natural disaster, manmade trauma or strange twist of fate our time on earth is uncertain and probably not fixed.

It would, indeed, be reassuring if we could depend on gracefully passing away at a ripe old age the way Freddy the leaf did in The Fall of Freddy the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia.

Buscaglia’s lovingly told story about the circle of life has been appreciated by all ages for nearly three decades. In the classic, Freddy has the good fortune to experience all the seasons the way only some of us do. Nonetheless, the tree and leaf metaphor is a timeless treasure that sensitively illustrates the interconnectedness of life and death. It speaks of a higher purpose and offers a simple yet comforting perspective of the inevitable. The book can be a useful tool to discuss life and death issues when questions arise during difficult times. Over the years, it has helped many through the process of grieving.

Of course, the extent of grieving is unfathomable in Haiti when one hears an unimaginable estimated 50,000 lost their lives within minutes when the earth grumbled and shook. Naturally, all hearts go out to the victims. The incredulous psyches of people everywhere have been deeply shaken.

These recent events, coupled with perpetual earthquake predictions in BC due to its fault lines, bring home the value of every moment and the uncertainties. Our place in time and in the universe is a riddle we have yet to solve. But along with the mystery and misery, precious moments inscrutably go by for anyone who cares to savor the fleeting miracle of being alive.

Postscript September 9, 2010:

Since the original writing of this article, it has been reported that as many as 200,000 people might have died in the Haitian earthquake.

All-Weather Daze

THE PAST TWENTY-FOUR HOURS in BC is a good example of why puzzled Westcoasters often don’t know what they should wear when they step outdoors. One minute it’s hot and the next ... well, it's definitely not. Walkers were exposed to a whirlwind mix of hail and stinging rain needling their faces. Wildly strong winds whipped at clothing and tousled hairdos into a frenzy. Hands, with grips less than sturdy, found inverted umbrellas and hats had swiftly escaped in the air. There were also moments of calm with sudden bursts of sunlight and warmth. Messy slick sidewalks, strewn with evergreen foliage, looked as if a very big salad had been tossed everywhere. A 6.6 earthquake off BC's Central West Coast, which thankfully caused no significant damage, added to the muddle. Further south at Crescent Beach, daring adventurers were spotted, illustrating a Penelope-like can-do spirit as they braved chilly, choppy waters to go windsurfing.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms