Call it Paradise

There’s a certain quality to the light of a late afternoon in Florida during the cooler season. In the summer the late day sun blazes, and the air becomes still and searing. Late afternoons from around October through March as pleasing to behold. The land is golden and beautiful and it’s a beautiful day to be alive.

There is a part of Florida that many do not get to experience. Winter visitors’ flock to beaches, to Disney World; Key West; Busch Gardens. So many parts of Florida are overpopulated; too many people converging and living in so small an area. Roads are overcrowded with inadequate lanes to hold the traffic safely, even with continual construction. Housing developments spring up everywhere; land developers run rampant building quickly, without quality, taking exorbitant fees with them to the next project waiting for them to victimize the land. We are left with half-finished developments, or worse, over populated sections; strip malls and parking lots appearing where cattle and wild life used to run.

When I see wide open spaces of land I see the life that lives there. Within just the last 100 years someone fenced the land, raised cattle or crops; before that no one could really live in Florida – it was a rough, hard life. For now, Sand Hill cranes continue to raise their young on this land as they have for millennia. Gopher turtles, possum, deer, wild boar, raccoons, coyote, armadillo, foxes, rabbits; Florida panther, countless species of birds have lived and flourished until the human population began booming; clearing land, raising house after house. The animals that remain are boxed into small areas and have become a nuisance to people. They are trapped and re-located again, or worse, they are destroyed. When developers see that same land they see dollar signs, and lots of them, because Florida land is tremendously lucrative. Florida is the sunshine state, and in 2012 the census discovered that on the average, 630 people move here each day, which is the equivalent of 229,000 people a year.

I live in Central Florida on 2 ¼ acres of land purchased by my father-in-law back in 1962 from a woman who was the original owner of the land. Behind me are 300 acres of prairie that have never been developed. Each day is a blessing to wake up, look out over the field and see what nature has brought to the new day. I am fortunate. It’s beautiful and wild, but its existence is precarious. Neighbors anxious to continue living a semi-rural life grouped together, and we fought land development of the prairie and won on a fluke. It is an uneasy fact that the county owns the property now and it is protected. But it’s really only protected until someone finds a way around the laws, which has been the case in so many areas in Florida. Greed wins out more often than not, sadly. There are signs around us that our pristine prairie is being disturbed and will ultimately fall victim. For now, it is beautiful and peaceful. 

Today I took a rural route home from shopping in a city east of here. It’s a beautiful route, more houses now than used to be, but still, it’s quite a few miles of gorgeous, flat land, perfect for raising cattle and horses. Miles of beautiful land, scattered with graceful old oaks dripping with Spanish moss. I had to stop on the drive to let a young Sand Hill crane cross the road, but I did so happily. Along the way I saw hawks soaring overhead; osprey sitting in their own nests on the telephone and electric poles. I passed at least six other pairs of Sand Hill cranes; this is their nesting time. Young calves, recently born, wandered the pastures with their mothers and other members of their herd. There’s a certain quality to the light of a late afternoon in Florida during the cooler season. In the summer the late day sun blazes, and the air becomes still and searing. Late afternoons from around October through March as pleasing to behold. Today it was beautiful, rural, and breathtaking. Golden light touched the ground, shimmered in the trees, not a cloud marred the brilliant blue sky. I felt so blessed to know that I have experienced such beauty, and in the next breath I knew that such beauty cannot last. The terrible truth is that on 1000 of those glorious, gorgeous, historic acres I passed today, 2460 homes are going to be built, and soon. Along with the homes, according to the Tampa Tribune, the Canadian developers are proud to also add to the plan 345,000 square feet of commercial space and 50,000 square feet of office space. On a gorgeous, sleepy north eastern part of Hillsborough County that has been home to nothing but wildlife. It is tragic.The Canadian developers will build, and they will take their money back to Canada. The city of Plant City will gain revenue from the new homes and the new businesses, and 2460 families will move in. And a beautiful piece of land will be gone, forever. It saddens me. In the grand scheme of history there is nothing that can be done; some people say it is progress and we need to keep with the times. Dr. Seuss says “some say I’m old fashioned and live in the past; I think that progress progresses too fast”. Here is the scariest thing. 2460 new homes; that is only enough homes to fill about eight days of new people moving to Florida. Don Henley says “they call it paradise; I don’t know why. You call someplace paradise, kiss it goodbye”. I do not see dollar signs when I see beautiful, wide-open spaces. I see breathing room, nature, life. 

The Artist's Way

I have not been this excited and this actively involved in a writing project for some time. You probably have read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron? I - believe it or not - have not. Me, a bookseller for nearly 16 years; a librarian for over 8 years, and aspiring writer. Recently I heard mention of it somewhere, and I wanted immediate reading access. I downloaded a $2.99 sample of the high-lights and borrowed an electronic version from the public library - no physical copies were available, so it was second best until I can get to the book store to buy a copy. What I have gleamed so far is the Morning Pages concept. I am enamored. Just in case you don't know this about The Artist’s Way (and I honestly think I am probly the last person in the world to know this!) the Morning Pages are three - no more, no less - pages hand-written just after you wake in the morning. They are personal, not to be read, shared, or even re-read for quite some time. They are almost a catharsis. You write whatever is on your mind and make all kinds of self-discoveries; hidden passions or obstacles in your way. Things that have been bothering you, hidden dreams. Whatever. They have to be hand-written, not typed, because typing can be a deterrent to creativity, and it can also be readily corrected or deleted. The hand-writing allows thoughts to flow in a normal manner or order. One of the things I have noticed is that I used to be able to hand-write for a long time, many pages in a row without hand cramps. Not so much now. My hand is protesting, but it is worth it to keep going, hand cramps and time constraints set aside. The whole idea is to free yourself of creative blocks and even to establish a new routine for writing. It also is supposed to be done on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, but I have a ton of composition books, so that is what I am using. Today was Day 9. I look forward to rising each morning and writing! I am going have to start setting my alarm tomorrow (Monday) so I am already deciding how much time I need to give myself. I am thinking that as I begin work again it is going to be such a fabulous way to start each work day. I am truly excited. I am looking forward to each morning; I mean, I already do love each morning, but this adds another layer!

Every year I tell myself THIS will be the year that I get back on track. That I work on my goals and my dreams. And every year goes by and I am not closer to my dreams. This year I am taking charge of that and I hope this new path or direction can keep my motivation going. Each year that passes is another missed opportunity. I believe that things happen as they should, but I also believe that we can control our destinies a little and help guide ourselves where we need to be. I love writing too much, have wanted that dream too long, and have done so little to accomplish it. So this year it is one of my goals - again. Along with always trying to be a better person - more patient, kind, caring, considerate...but also, more selfish. I give so much of myself, always. I always put others needs before my own; part of being a nurturing person. So while I still want to be a better person, part of that means saying no sometimes and putting myself first. It sounds like two separate, conflicting goals, but I think they twine together. We are only given so much time; so many days, and it is such a shame to have a dream for so long that I have not pursued to the best of my ability. Hello, 2016.