Meditation on Canning Chicken 1

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While canning Chicken this evening,

I watched the top knot

on the Canner

to make sure

it hovered

at 11 pounds pressure.

Those 75 minutes

went slow.

My thoughts

typically

wander unencumbered

through new landscapes.

This time,

I mused on the Fear

of Canning

I have had

throughout my life.

I caught that

from my Mother,

who canned very little

when I was growing up.

I probably caught

that in my trainings

as a Home Economist too.

I wonder

where that came

from in our Culture

and what Purpose it serves.

Those Homemakers of yore

took on a serious responsibility

for their families.

They knew it,

they were smart,

they had skills in crafts

we "so-called advanced"

modern ones

have set aside.

They knew their risks

and took responsible actions

to the degree

they were capable.

They knew healthy Fear.

Fear is a natural emotion arising

when the Critter

which is us

feels under threat;

when Fear arises,

it comes with energy

intended for self protection.

You could call that

the Creator's Plan.

The Trouble is that Fear

became Terror

and Terror is up to no good.

That Excelerated Fear arose

in the last Century

at the same time period

that the Industrial Complex

became dominant in our lives.

That Terror kept us distant

from our own Kitchens

and our own abilties

to provide for our Families.

It launched us

into giving the responsibility

of providing food

to the Industrial Complex,

whose primary goal

became one of Bottom Line.

That Terror needs to be replaced

with some Healthy Skills.

The Kitchen of the Home

and the Homemakers

who tend it

need to come back

to Front and Center

in our Lives.

They need to sit

in a Place of Honor

they so deserve.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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