Three wonderful submissions to our first VardoForTwo Canary Caravan Carnival for MCS Awareness Month are posted here for Friday, May 14th. The posts were 'supposed' to be posted as scheduled using Blogger ... however, I probably didn't do it quite right or something!
Here I am at the Langley library, first on the steps waiting for the 11am opening. The posts are there, and with a little moving things around I will make them a bit more accessible to you, dear readers. Thanks ... hope you find something that is useful here in the Carnival Tent.
Aloha,
Mokihana
Friday, May 14, 2010
Poetry ... reflections and feelings about my life with MCS now
Hi!
I hope this is not too late to enter for the event. I don't think I'm good at poetry, but this reflects my feelings about my life with MCS right now.
The ache, the pain,
Invisible ills,
All thanks to the
Miracle
Chemicals
The CEOs keep facts
Under lock and key
We know the truth
Whatever else we see
Deny it
Twist it
Dye it
Any color you want
The truth will be
Set free
We yearn for a place
On our finite earth
A place to call home
To breathe and live and love
Free of chemicals
Free to be productive
In society
Free to Be.
Chemicals have caged us
Too long
But now we know
And we will sing
Unitl the world hears our cry
--Foul!
And will quit poisoning our planet
With the modern miracle
Of chemistry.
Katrina Kluzik
Thank you for hosting this event!
Katrina
350!
Let's get it together and let's get it done!
350.org
I hope this is not too late to enter for the event. I don't think I'm good at poetry, but this reflects my feelings about my life with MCS right now.
The ache, the pain,
Invisible ills,
All thanks to the
Miracle
Chemicals
The CEOs keep facts
Under lock and key
We know the truth
Whatever else we see
Deny it
Twist it
Dye it
Any color you want
The truth will be
Set free
We yearn for a place
On our finite earth
A place to call home
To breathe and live and love
Free of chemicals
Free to be productive
In society
Free to Be.
Chemicals have caged us
Too long
But now we know
And we will sing
Unitl the world hears our cry
--Foul!
And will quit poisoning our planet
With the modern miracle
Of chemistry.
Katrina Kluzik
Thank you for hosting this event!
Katrina
350!
Let's get it together and let's get it done!
350.org
Finding your Path ... A Visualization from an ally
Notes from Mokihana
Building upon the foundation of support suggested in Kay McCarty's article "The Impact of MCS on Self-Esteem" the following guided visualization as a 'form of meditation' raises the vitality of hope here in The Canary Caravan Carnival. Joan Tucker is an ally, a friend to me before MCS can to stay. We have been down paths together and separately. Through the vessel of the internet, she viewed my changed life without commentary, and then with time, her 'following' became known. We slowly reconnected and our alliance is new today. Joan Tucker authors two blogs where her Taurus energy finds adventure and space for her creativity. The guided visualization here, was customized for the Canary Carnival. Joan's career as personal and professional coach and facilitator of wonderful gatherings and workshops is gratefully offered here as a TOOL from an ALLY.
Mahalo Joan!
Mokihana and Pete
The Impact of MCS on Self-Esteem
Notes from Mokihana
MCS Multiple Chemical Sensitivities is an illness that has changed my life. MCS has changed the lives of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people on The Planet. Some of us know that we have been affected by exposure to chemicals, toxics and toxins and the work of readjustments to a world and society with values that need to be chucked, recycled or amended begins/continues; and there are many more of us who remain unaware or unwilling to accept the reality of a very 'preventable' illness. This first Canary Caravan Carnival is a celebration and a documentary on the reality of life with limits and structure incited by MCS. The motivation for me to organize such a hopeful and unstructured event comes from two places: first, MAY is MCS Awareness Month throughout the Earth; second, my personal passion for teaching where I find myself remains intact despite the odds. Readers here at VardoForTwo have read and seen the stories that make up the truth of life for Pete (my dear man), JOTS (our dear kitty bump) and me.
More than two years ago, when all hope dried up for me, I was guided to begin a relationship via the cellphone with a person who has been angel, guide, sister-in-recovery and skilled therapist. Wherever and whatever I was experiencing or being challenged with I was supported by the thoughtful, compassionate skill of a woman who has worked the walk and could talk me through many rough spots. Kay McCarty offers hope, humor and tools for times that have tested my inventory of self-worth and self-esteem. That test is common for those who live with MCS. The article that follows is an article that succinctly and compassionately describes the work of self-care that is so vital as one refashioned a value system that supports life with MCS. I am grateful and appreciate of this guidance, and offer this unedited version of "The Impact of MCS on Self-Esteem" as the opening 'act' on VardoForTwo's First Canarary Caravan Carnival.
Mahalo nui loa, Kay
Mokihana and Pete
An edited version of this article appears in CIIN's "Our Toxic Times" April, 2010 edition.
MCS Multiple Chemical Sensitivities is an illness that has changed my life. MCS has changed the lives of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people on The Planet. Some of us know that we have been affected by exposure to chemicals, toxics and toxins and the work of readjustments to a world and society with values that need to be chucked, recycled or amended begins/continues; and there are many more of us who remain unaware or unwilling to accept the reality of a very 'preventable' illness. This first Canary Caravan Carnival is a celebration and a documentary on the reality of life with limits and structure incited by MCS. The motivation for me to organize such a hopeful and unstructured event comes from two places: first, MAY is MCS Awareness Month throughout the Earth; second, my personal passion for teaching where I find myself remains intact despite the odds. Readers here at VardoForTwo have read and seen the stories that make up the truth of life for Pete (my dear man), JOTS (our dear kitty bump) and me.
More than two years ago, when all hope dried up for me, I was guided to begin a relationship via the cellphone with a person who has been angel, guide, sister-in-recovery and skilled therapist. Wherever and whatever I was experiencing or being challenged with I was supported by the thoughtful, compassionate skill of a woman who has worked the walk and could talk me through many rough spots. Kay McCarty offers hope, humor and tools for times that have tested my inventory of self-worth and self-esteem. That test is common for those who live with MCS. The article that follows is an article that succinctly and compassionately describes the work of self-care that is so vital as one refashioned a value system that supports life with MCS. I am grateful and appreciate of this guidance, and offer this unedited version of "The Impact of MCS on Self-Esteem" as the opening 'act' on VardoForTwo's First Canarary Caravan Carnival.
Mahalo nui loa, Kay
Mokihana and Pete
An edited version of this article appears in CIIN's "Our Toxic Times" April, 2010 edition.
WELINA! WELCOME! ALOHA, The first Canary Caravan Carnival BEGINS
MCS Awareness Month throughout the Planet is in full-swing. MAY is half way through it's calendar days, the real lives of all sentient beings are being lived in magnificently unique fashion. Those of us who live with the reality, limitations and structure of environmental illness (EI) or MCS are a minority often silent or invisible to the society of humans in all corners, cities and environs.
This first time for us on VardoForTwo bloggers carnival began weeks ago with a dream inspired by other blogging communities as a way to express the resilience, challenges and realities of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. When I introduced this project, I did it knowing the possibility that we would be 'on the move and limited in our access to resources' ... The possibility is here. I blog from behind my "I Can Breathe" carbon-filtered mask seated at the shared library computer in Langley, Washington on Whidbey Island. The Carnival continues with adjustments. The horns, bells, and whistles of the internet are a bit limited and yet, what I can do is being done.
This first time for us on VardoForTwo bloggers carnival began weeks ago with a dream inspired by other blogging communities as a way to express the resilience, challenges and realities of Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. When I introduced this project, I did it knowing the possibility that we would be 'on the move and limited in our access to resources' ... The possibility is here. I blog from behind my "I Can Breathe" carbon-filtered mask seated at the shared library computer in Langley, Washington on Whidbey Island. The Carnival continues with adjustments. The horns, bells, and whistles of the internet are a bit limited and yet, what I can do is being done.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Mercury getting ready to I MUA (go forward) ... and so do we
It's a life filled with more unexpected whats, whos and wheres. I am at the submerged screen of work station #4 in the Langley library here on Whidbey Island. A corner of preschoolers are gabbering, and a mom is reading "The Pirate and the Penguin." It's not easy to concentrate on my 'mission' yet, that's okay ... my mission is a morphing thing I think. Mercury, the planet of communication has been in retrograde, so the action of forward motion has reserved for the past three weeks. That changes after today; and that is good. We have taken advantage of reviewing and readjusting ... finding ourselves on an island in the middle of the Salish Sea, in Washington State ... or in the land of First Peoples who call it other names.
Our VardoForTwo is happy being under a starry starry sky surrounded by dark nights and tall trees. The conveniences of modern life avail themselves to us ... we have electricity to heat our tiny home, a washer, kitchen and bathroom all of them shared resources that we rent and work for in exchange for a place to be anchored to Earth-time. JOTS is at home alone, out and about in the woods in the bright of day; and at night we pour her into her carrier and lock her in. There are large hootie owls and coyotes among the predators of a real and wild forrest. One owl stocked our dear dear JOTS the other night, and the message became clear: "Keep her safe at night inside the warm carrier. That is as much as we can do."
That is what we do with our own dear selves and our recreating life. The community of stars and astrology give me an angle that opens positive options when I am in despair, and the work and program of the Al-Anon 12 Steps provide me tangible spiritual discipline when I slip into old and non-functional habits. MCS is a vehicle of incredible structure making. PErhaps my six decades have fashioned something that makes my deep searching native disposition ever resilient and hopeful. I am learning at this later stage, to really accept my life as I find it. That would be 'humility' the First Step in becoming intimate with a power greater than the losses, challenges, limitations, unexpected exposures, choices that are out of my control.
The corner filled with pre-schoolers is quiet. Oh, how I am grateful that the sounds did not make for a judgemnt of 'noise' and interruption. It was a brief and fully alive few minutes.
I have a few precious minutes left at Work Station #4 ... 33 minutes by the clock in the corner; and there is a CANARY CARNIVAL TO ORGANIZE AND PREPARE. I'm leaving this post here, to say ... bear with me as I adjust to the limitations that are real in my ability to take the submissions including beautiful photos and artwork that might not be easy/possible for me to manipulate from the library. There is still time to figure it out, and however the final posts appear, a huge MAHALO for the work and the heart that has gone into the submissions. They are valuable and I so love the creativity expressed in each of them.
It is a lovely day, and with gratitude and appreciation I enjoy my own company and send these words/thoughts to you who visit here at VardoForTwo and hope the company you are in values you, too.
Aloha,
Mokihana
Our VardoForTwo is happy being under a starry starry sky surrounded by dark nights and tall trees. The conveniences of modern life avail themselves to us ... we have electricity to heat our tiny home, a washer, kitchen and bathroom all of them shared resources that we rent and work for in exchange for a place to be anchored to Earth-time. JOTS is at home alone, out and about in the woods in the bright of day; and at night we pour her into her carrier and lock her in. There are large hootie owls and coyotes among the predators of a real and wild forrest. One owl stocked our dear dear JOTS the other night, and the message became clear: "Keep her safe at night inside the warm carrier. That is as much as we can do."
That is what we do with our own dear selves and our recreating life. The community of stars and astrology give me an angle that opens positive options when I am in despair, and the work and program of the Al-Anon 12 Steps provide me tangible spiritual discipline when I slip into old and non-functional habits. MCS is a vehicle of incredible structure making. PErhaps my six decades have fashioned something that makes my deep searching native disposition ever resilient and hopeful. I am learning at this later stage, to really accept my life as I find it. That would be 'humility' the First Step in becoming intimate with a power greater than the losses, challenges, limitations, unexpected exposures, choices that are out of my control.
The corner filled with pre-schoolers is quiet. Oh, how I am grateful that the sounds did not make for a judgemnt of 'noise' and interruption. It was a brief and fully alive few minutes.
I have a few precious minutes left at Work Station #4 ... 33 minutes by the clock in the corner; and there is a CANARY CARNIVAL TO ORGANIZE AND PREPARE. I'm leaving this post here, to say ... bear with me as I adjust to the limitations that are real in my ability to take the submissions including beautiful photos and artwork that might not be easy/possible for me to manipulate from the library. There is still time to figure it out, and however the final posts appear, a huge MAHALO for the work and the heart that has gone into the submissions. They are valuable and I so love the creativity expressed in each of them.
It is a lovely day, and with gratitude and appreciation I enjoy my own company and send these words/thoughts to you who visit here at VardoForTwo and hope the company you are in values you, too.
Aloha,
Mokihana
Friday, May 7, 2010
Back on an island again and CANARY CARNIVAL update
We - Pete, JOTS and me, are living on an island again, at least for the next while. With lots of help from friends and neighboring contruction dudes, Pete was able to maneuver Bernadette the Beast of a WorkTruck and our VardoForTwo from its parking place in the Mill Town of Everett, Wa. Several months ago I began communicating with MCS friends who own a cottage on the south end of Whidbey Island, just across the Sound from Everett. The slow and clear communication process has paid off; we have an arrangement that suits the four people involved. Our vardo is parked in the most level landing pad to date, our extension cord plugs into the east-side of the cottage and we are again parked in beautiful Northwestern woods. This time, the tree-skins are those of cedar in the main with fir and pine to round-out the company. A settled home where all the conscious choices of a fragrance free and chemical free environment are intact is a big first for us! We are renting and working in trade a cottage with kitchen and bathrooms and a laundry set-up with no one else. We are in a place alone, for the first time in years. Our vardo continues to serve as safe and predictable sleeping haven and place of refuge and JOTS is a woods kitty again.
Our six-month stay in the Mill Town ended with new and evolving awareness. MCS is a complex illness that requires such diligence and the energy to maintain stability and recovery is hard work. The emotional-physical and relationship dynamics of living with multiple chemical sensitivities is difficult. There is no way 'round it. Each time we move our selves and the Vardo, there are expected and unexpected costs, losses and triumphs. We give thanks to the friends who offer their space and their friendship on this journey of extremes and pray for the courage to make changes to ourselves one day at a time, one experience at a time.
In the next few days (in a week!) the first CANARY CARNIVAL will happen here on VardoForTwo. The diverse experiences, Tools, Allies and Prose from people who live with this environmental illness will be posted on Friday, May 14th, Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th. The inspiration and energy for this three day project began before our move from the Mill Town. The project will happen ... yet, there will be adjustments because I am on the move and my access to blogging and internet is subject to 'the public.' That is ... I use this library computer 59 minutes at a time and IF there are no scents or fragrances to prevent it.
HERE's a SHOUT TO ALL OUR CANARY FRIENDS AND ALLIES, who have been working on a submission for the three day Canary Carnival. Please try to get your writing to me via email by Monday MAY 10TH. I have less time to do individual emails to followup so, I hope you're following us here. I know things will work out just as they ought with this Carnival ... so no pressure, no worry. I'm excited to get the Canary Carnival Tents up next week ... and whatever we have under those tents will be perfect for awareness comes in degrees and that's just what is needed more and more degrees of awareness about WHAT IS MCS?
My 10 minutes warning flashed, so it's time to say a hui hou (till next time).
Take care,
Mokihana and Pete
Our six-month stay in the Mill Town ended with new and evolving awareness. MCS is a complex illness that requires such diligence and the energy to maintain stability and recovery is hard work. The emotional-physical and relationship dynamics of living with multiple chemical sensitivities is difficult. There is no way 'round it. Each time we move our selves and the Vardo, there are expected and unexpected costs, losses and triumphs. We give thanks to the friends who offer their space and their friendship on this journey of extremes and pray for the courage to make changes to ourselves one day at a time, one experience at a time.
In the next few days (in a week!) the first CANARY CARNIVAL will happen here on VardoForTwo. The diverse experiences, Tools, Allies and Prose from people who live with this environmental illness will be posted on Friday, May 14th, Saturday, May 15th and Sunday, May 16th. The inspiration and energy for this three day project began before our move from the Mill Town. The project will happen ... yet, there will be adjustments because I am on the move and my access to blogging and internet is subject to 'the public.' That is ... I use this library computer 59 minutes at a time and IF there are no scents or fragrances to prevent it.
HERE's a SHOUT TO ALL OUR CANARY FRIENDS AND ALLIES, who have been working on a submission for the three day Canary Carnival. Please try to get your writing to me via email by Monday MAY 10TH. I have less time to do individual emails to followup so, I hope you're following us here. I know things will work out just as they ought with this Carnival ... so no pressure, no worry. I'm excited to get the Canary Carnival Tents up next week ... and whatever we have under those tents will be perfect for awareness comes in degrees and that's just what is needed more and more degrees of awareness about WHAT IS MCS?
My 10 minutes warning flashed, so it's time to say a hui hou (till next time).
Take care,
Mokihana and Pete
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