Page 2 - MidWeek - April 13, 2022

2 MIDWEEK APRIL 13, 2022
Busy Me, Thwarted By Infant
“If you’re always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?” — Nanette Mathews
TChicken Scratches
hree weeks ago, right here, I commented on proposed
FromasearlyasIcan remember, I’ ve been a busy person.
rupted hour for me to figure out what my character would do next in whatever book I was writing at the time.
legislation that would help to mitigate the growing
When I was 6, I was deter- mined to make a blouse. So, you can imagine how that turned out.
My husband and I like to take morning hikes together. Because nature surrounds us, I don’t carry my cell phone. However, he often wants to stop at the grocery store on our way home. I freak out. What will I do while he’s shopping?
After an hour or so of doing this, I realized that this was something I’ d never experi- enced. Doing nothing for two hours? Unheard of. A complete sense of peace overcame me.
problem of feral chickens rambling around these is- lands. I certainly had some fun writing the column, with some obvious double-entendres and wordplay, but I also thought that the suggested solution of using birth control feed to render hen eggs infertile was interesting.
When I was 7, I decided that my sister and I should be insurance agents just like our dad. So, I made a policy deb- it book that was just like his. I made one for my little sister as well. Her book was smaller because, in my opinion, she wrote baby policies. My dad’s company wrote an article about this endeavor in their monthly publication.
But here come vocal ova-omitting opponents, shedding some new feathers on this chicken tale with testimony giv- en during the early-April legislative session. “Save Hawai‘i Chickens” spoke about how chickens eat centipedes, provide fertilizer via their droppings and provide eggs for food; they say that feral chickens could provide a sustainable food source, and there’s a contamination risk to other birds and animals with specially formulated pellets. There might be risk to our groundwater as uneaten chicken feed leaches into the soil. Who knew? Certainly not me.
The author’s granddaughter Lucy taught her how to slow down and enjoy the moment.
PHOTO COURTESY JERI LYNCH
Relax? This was never a word that formerly described me.
This was such a wonder- ful learning lesson for a true A-type personality. It taught me that I could disconnect; I didn’t always need to keep busy. Instead, I could indeed be present and simply in the moment.
Wow, civic-minded individuals coming forward to defend feral fowls. The chickens, who speak loudly (that’s part of the problem) but were too chicken to gather forces at the legisla- ture, surely wished their human advocators good cluck.
When I was in fifth grade, I drove my teacher crazy. I often finished my work early and asked her for something else to do. She finally made me a monitor. After that, I helped other teachers with whatever
When I was 24, I came down with a bad case of the flu and had to stay home from work. As I lay in bed with a 103-degree temperature, I insisted that my boyfriend go to the store and bring art projects for me to start.
A beautiful granddaughter named Lucy was born. When my daughter first handed her to me, I was speechless. After a few seconds of my silence, my daughter said to me, “You can say something.” All I could do was to whisper, “I can’t.”
Who knew a week-old baby could impart such wisdom?
Unlike some of the bewildered birdbrains who disagree with one another ad nauseum on myriad issues befuddling our na- tion, this was all done via common sense arguments based on facts, not half-truths, alternate facts, social media chicken feed or omnipresent, digital bird poop rantings so rampant in our tribalistic nation nowadays.
they needed. To this day, if I have many projects going on, my mom calls it my “monitor work.”
In my 50s, I loved getting massages. It wasn’t because they were relaxing and calm- ing; they provided an uninter-
The following two weeks were magical. Whenever I could, I would hold Lucy and simply look at her in wonder.
Jeri Lynch is a wife, moth- er and pug owner. She writes a monthly newsletter called “OLIO.”
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
National squabbles today evolve around ego, power, control, fear and not getting egg on one’s face. But this local poultry powwow revives my sense of hope for humanity because, yes, political discourse can actually be presented reasonably, civilly, and can ultimately be decided upon by focused leaders elected to decide great debates, whether locally or nationally.
KELLEY
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
This all came to a crashing and surprising halt on Feb. 11, 2021.
with Jeri Lynch
In days of yore, reaching across the congressional aisle might mean accommodating, actively listening, compromising and/or keeping in mind the bigger picture. Nowadays, reaching across that same aisle is likely to be met with a virtual viral slap, condescending comments, grandiose accusations, or we witness tired, redundant retreats to predictable sectarianism. Voters grow weary, remain wary and, too often, we witness nothing productive getting accomplished.
But this well-presented, local debate about the fate of forag- ing ferals can be celebrated as an example of how “the system” works when cooler heads prevail. So, why did the chicken really cross the road? Perhaps to actually listen to the other side.
Think about it ...
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com