As of this writing, the official temperature is zero degrees.
Snow has been falling and blowing all day, while my dog Zeke and I stay warm inside. Zeke occasionally asks to go outside to do his thing, but he wastes no time coming back inside – even running up the deck, with a fresh layer of snowflakes on his back. As I told him earlier today “this weather isn’t for amateurs,” referring to the luxurious lifestyle he lives compared to most other members of the animal kingdom.
It is three days before Christmas, and this household is buckled down, with no reason to complain.
We have electricity, gas and running water – not to mention dozens of blankets, comfortable beds, and enough food to last a while. Despite our evolutionary propensity to do so, it is not as necessary to hoard these things as it was in much simpler times.
Thanks to professionals of all kinds: plumbers, electricians, line repairmen and municipal snow removers putting in significant overtime away from their families, most of us living at the end of 2022 will never have to go longer than a few hours without these modern necessities.
Even the fact I sit here clacking away on my laptop’s keyboard, causes me to pause. In fact, I am writing this early this week, in case we do lose power, or internet connection. When I am not working on this, I can very well get online and connect with any number of friends and acquaintances via social media, or look up pretty much anything on the world wide web.
All of this is a far cry from earlier times in our nation’s history, yet there still are millions of people and animals who do not take all of these things for granted. People whose lives teeter precariously on the brink of extinguishment day and night, all year long.
Some of these folks might have come to this point in their lives through poor choices on their part, while millions of others suffer from untreated mental illness, or have fallen on hard times, despite having lived responsibly thus far.
The reality is, far too many are only a paycheck away from losing everything. And at any moment, it could be you or me fighting for our existence.
Regardless of what circumstances lead them to this state, they are other living beings, breathing oxygen in and out, just like you and me.
They don’t need our pity or judgment.
They need our assistance; in whatever way we can manage.
Maybe that means donating clothes, hygiene products or money to a homeless shelter. Maybe that means working in a soup kitchen, or making a casserole for those we know have fallen on hard times, but are still hanging on. Maybe it means doing any number of things.
Or maybe it means consuming less ourselves.
Most of us who have a warm bed and roofs over our heads have plenty of other stuff we don’t need. We can survive on a lot less than what we think we can.
As living beings, who are here through no merit or action of our own, we are interdependent on each other, and on the rest of creation.
Not dependent, in that we don’t do what we can to live productively.
Not independent, in that we worry only about ourselves.
Interdependent, where all of us give of ourselves and receive from others. This give and take might be in material form, but it might not either. It might be giving something of who we are.
The truth is, if we are in a place of warmth and comfort, it is not entirely of our own doing. We are where we are because of the gifts and sacrifices of many others before us, through luck, and yes, through our own hard work, too.
Jesus told his disciples: “Freely you received, freely give.” (Mt 10:8)
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, a time when those who purport to follow Jesus celebrate his birth into this world in a dirty cave, we might ask ourselves what it is we can do or be that will bring a little bit of hope to others’ lives.
Wishing you a blessed and peaceful holiday season, with deep gratitude for you all.
- SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and community.