Change What You Can

10/7/2015

The Lay of the Land

By Lyn Messersmith

Change What You Can

            The windows were full of cobwebs and smudges so I washed them, inside and out, in August. Too early, but I didn’t realize that, because window washing is one of those “I’ll get around to it,” deals at my house. Generally, it happens about now, when I have to battle the wasps for territorial rights or wear a jacket.

It was a joy, looking out at the world clearly, not to mention having no guilt and “Should do that” to deal with. Nice while it lasted; which wasn’t very long. Once again, the corners of the inside windows and corners in every room are webby, there are moth stains on the outside glass, and screens shimmer with a coating of silk.

We divide our time between an ancient house and one that is “only” 60 years old, so it’s inevitable that we’ll share space with a few invaders. The Daddy Long Legs are gone, thanks to bug bombs in basement and crawl space, but we still have spiders, most of which are almost too tiny to notice. This time of year the little critters are busy preparing for the winter. If you get outdoors on one of our warm Indian-Summer afternoons, and look into the light, you can see the evidence. A sheen of gauze covers field and flowers, connecting a hay bale with the corral fence and windmill. Sitting down in the porch chair, you hop up and brush some sticky off your jeans and arms.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but the person in my shoes often feels pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. That’s not a bad thing, except when we use it as an excuse to remain on the sidelines of all the chaos in our world. “What’s the use of getting into the fray?” we ask. “One person out here in the boonies doesn’t have much to offer, and anyhow, the votes are all in the metropolitan areas.”

But here are the spiders again, to prove otherwise. They accomplish what they are created for, when it’s time to do that, with little regard for the weather or any other circumstance. And it’s amazing what they manage to change, even overnight.

No matter where we live, a lot needs changing, and most of it is right under our noses. IT may be dirty windows, a child needing encouragement, a lonely neighbor, or a policy proposal which is beneficial to those in power, but detrimental to the community as a whole.

I’m not sure when I’ll tackle the windows again, or what other element demands my interaction next. But this much is true for all of us. Nothing changes if nothing changes, and we all have the ability to change something, starting with ourselves.