Mabon – The Journey

Now that I’ve caught up a bit, I can talk about the Wheel of the Year. Though my credibility is a little dented on these holidays. I celebrated Mabon on September 21st. I thought I’d done well to pull this off shortly after deploying to Vermont. Only to be told by a more observant family member that Mabon in 2024 (and most years) is on September 22nd. I’ve made a note for continuous improvement purposes. But no repeat observance on the 22nd.

I don’t have much Mabon specific to say. I do want to renew my support for the Wheel of the Year as a means every six or seven weeks to give thought to our place in the world and to give thanks for what we have.

That’s what I have to say. Perhaps too many words the past few days. I’m taking a break, though not as long as the last one. Be well.

I’m surprised how long it has been since I’ve posted. It isn’t that there has been nothing going on. But more that it has been busy. I left Arkansas on August 31st (more on that below) and by the time I landed at home, I was making plans to head out to Hawaii. Long days here and six days a week. I almost missed Mabon. Very glad I remembered – I still find it restorative to take a moment to sit, remember, and be thankful every six weeks.

There hasn’t been any time to learn the neighborhood, but Hawaii has no need to worry about first impressions. The office I have been working out of is located in Honolulu.

But before Hawaii, there was Arkansas. I did get to check off three song cities – Little Rock, Eldorado, and Texarkana. Also a trip East to Memphis, a trip West to Mena, and a trip Northwest, up into the Ozarks.

While in the Ozarks, I went to Bentonville, home of Walmart’s HQ. Also home of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. A wonderful collection, but I couldn’t escape thoughts of the Gilded Age, the Carnegies, Rockefellers, et al.

Included in the collection was this, in my opinion, rather odd painting referencing Madawaska, Maine. For those of you not familiar with Maine, Madawaska is right at the top of the state. Its major industry is a paper mill that is fed by a pulp mill right over the border in Canada. The pulp is fed through a pipe across the rive, and the international border.