Our Favourite Things

The weather was unseasonably cold in the land of the giant puppets, and they were hunkered down staying warm. Dressed in thick socks and warm sweaters, their days were taken up by tea, popcorn and jigsaw puzzles.

image courtesy of Pixabay

And conversation.

*******

PER (putting the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle): Aren't those tall ships beautiful?

GOOD TIME (perking up and listening): They sure are! Say, do you hear music?

PER (listening and humming along): I do. I simply remember...

NOWCA: my favourite things...

GOOD TIME: and then I don't feel so bad.

MR. PIPELINE: That's an old song from The Sound of Music.

GOOD TIME: What are some of your favourite things, Mr. Pipeline?

MR. PIPELINE: Well, I like expensive cars -- a nice Jaguar or a BMW. I like meals at private clubs, and good wine.

PER: I see. Some of my favourite things are sentimental tunes, abstract art and sunsets. Here's a Patsy Cline song that's been going through my head today.

GOOD TIME: Crazy? It makes me feel crazy about all that we might lose with climate disruption. Extinction includes all our favourite things. What about kids deciding what they want to be when they grow up, when they're not even sure they're going to grow up?

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: It's hard not to go there, isn't it, Good Time?

GOOD TIME: Yes. I feel so scared and I don't want to lose all the things I love. Even this popcorn I'm eating -- I can't fathom no more people getting to eat popcorn. And all the food, entertainment and beauty that would be gone.

MR. PIPELINE: Good Time, you're over reacting! Climate change is exaggerated! Greedy environmentalists are just trying to scare you and get your money.

GOOD TIME: We're freezing all over North America, and Australia has just had record high temperatures and floods, and you think I'm exaggerating, Mr. Pipeline? How much worse can it get? What's this summer going to be like? What do you think the future holds if we continue on this way?

PER: Good Time, I agree and so do climate scientists. We're in a serious state and we have got to change course within twelve years to limit climate catastrophe. But people are stepping up! We've got everything from the Extinction Rebellion movement to the Green New Deal to the Leap Manifesto. We need to step up too.

MR. PIPELINE: Hey, Per, those movements are all too radical. We need incremental change -- industries are changing slowly.

PER: Too slowly for the good of the planet, Mr. Pipeline. And fossil fuel industries have had their chance. We can't waste time waiting.

Hey, NOWCA, we haven't heard from you. What are some of your favourite things?

NOWCA: I have so many favourite things -- life in all its aspects is so beautiful to me. It's hard to contemplate losing it all, not just for me, but for people in the future and all the other creatures we'd take with us. I can't imagine losing the birds, bees and butterflies, and reggae bands, captivating films, figure skating and all the things that would lose their cultural context. Thinking about this kind of loss is unbearable, and unimaginable.

image courtesy of Pixabay

PER: And, Mr. Pipeline, your fancy cars, restaurants and wine would also be no more. Isn't it worth changing our systems so we and those to come can still experience what we love?

MR. PIPELINE: You're all exaggerating! Life's going to continue. You shouldn't believe all those lies the foreign environmentalists are spouting.

GOOD TIME: David Suzuki isn't foreign. He was born in Vancouver. There are lots of Canadian environmental organizations. Per, NOWCA and I aren't foreign either for that matter. We just want a decent future.

MR. PIPELINE: What if we do all this work to give up oil, change our lifestyles and turn everything on its head, and it's all for nothing? Because you were tricked by environmentalists?

PER: Really Mr. Pipeline? A better future would be for nothing? My hope is that the path forward brings us peace, health, safety and a better way to live.

NOWCA: What ever happened to the time honoured tradition of wanting a better future for our children? We need that sentiment now more than ever. We need to tend our path into the future very carefully.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Contemplating Extinction

Though it was still cold in the land of the giant puppets, there'd been a few sunny days that dropped the slightest hint of Springtime to come. And yet, one puppet did not look very happy. Let's see what's getting Good Time down.

*******

image courtesy of Pixabay

PER (walking into the living room and discovering Good Time sulking): Good Time, what's wrong?

GOOD TIME (looking up): Oh, hi, Per. I just listened to a really scary video about climate change from a scientist named Gail Bradbrook with the Extinction Rebellion.

I was already feeling a mix of anticipation and dread for the coming warmer weather, and now I feel scared about what it'll be like next year.

Last year it was so smoky, and we weren't sure if our little town would be the next to burn down. I wish there was something I could do.

PER: Maybe there is, Good Time. I listened to that video too, and at the end of it, Dr. Bradbrook talks about how we need to take action that is both peaceful and disruptive since the climate situation is so urgent. Maybe we can plan something like that.

GOOD TIME: But I've never planned anything like that before, Per. I wouldn't know where to start.

PER: Gee, neither have I. I wonder if NOWCA might have some ideas.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA (entering the room with a plate of veggies and dip): Per, will you give me a hand with the tea?

PER (walking to the kitchen and bringing out a teapot and some mugs): Thanks, NOWCA. Just what we need!

Good Time and I were talking about planning an action to show our opposition to climate disruption. We need the world to change course and don't know what to do. Do you have any ideas, NOWCA?

NOWCA (as the three of them gathered around, poured tea and started snacking): I guess I'd find out who else is feeling the same urgency and see if anything is being planned. Creative, non-violent and disruptive action makes a lot of sense, and it needs to be well orchestrated.

GOOD TIME: That's what Dr. Bradbrook of Extinction Rebellion said too, NOWCA. Thanks for preparing these snacks. Eating together with you and Per is comforting.

NOWCA: Glad to hear that, Good Time.

GOOD TIME: I feel so panicky this time of year. I want it to be spring, but then I'm scared of the

image courtesy of Pixabay

forest fires summer might bring.

NOWCA: I know what you mean, Good Time. Every year the summers seem to get more hot, with more forest fires.

GOOD TIME: I don't know how to express those feelings in a public way that will help to change things for the better.

NOWCA: It feels good to talk with friends who are just as concerned, doesn't it? I think we need to see what others are doing, share on social media and discuss these things to see what gets the most traction. Then plan it carefully and take bold action.

PER: I guess taking care of ourselves and each other and keeping our ears to the ground helps.

GOOD TIME: I'm still scared, but feel so much better after talking with you, Per and NOWCA. Thanks for being such understanding friends. Our relationships matter more than ever in these crazy times.

PER (giving Good Time a hug): Whatever happens, Good Time, our relationships are what matter. We all really need each other when life is so terrifying.

NOWCA (giving Good Time and Per a hug): I think the more we trust and support each other, the better our actions will be.

Hey, here's a song that just popped into my mind. Can you imagine thousands of people singing this in the streets? It would be a great start to the radical shift we need to make.

GOOD TIME: It would be amazing, NOWCA! Thanks for helping me feel better. Whatever our chances of addressing climate change, I'm grateful to have you two with me. And I hope we sing this song in the streets together with lots of other people soon.

PER: And I hope singing that song marks the beginning of some course changing climate action.

image courtesy of Pixabay

2019: The Year We'll Turn Things Around!

After feasting, socializing and merry making during the festive season, the giant puppets were finally taking it easy.

With 2019 only days away, they kicked back in the living room and wondered about how the new year would unfold.

Strong coffee and holiday leftovers fuelled their discussion.

*******

image courtesy of Pixabay

GOOD TIME (brooding, and sipping on coffee): I need a good year ahead. This one has had a few too many rough spots -- a smoky summer, and so many climate disasters all over the world. And they're getting worse all the time.

NOWCA: I agree, Good Time. Things need to turn around -- or, to be more accurate, we need to turn things around.

GOOD TIME: I get what you mean, NOWCA. The year won't just happen to us; we'll all contribute to what it becomes, so we need to be intentional about what we do in the new year.

NOWCA (eating a forkful of yams): That's exactly what I mean, Good Time. Gee, these leftover yams with pecans are good.

PER (nibbling on a rum ball): It's high time we seized not just the day, but the upcoming year and our future. What do we want and how are we going to achieve it?

These leftover rum balls are delicious! Who'd have guessed that you can make them vegan and so healthy?

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: I want the world to seriously reduce global carbon emissions.

PER: Me too, and I want it done in a way that provides well-paid, secure jobs.

GOOD TIME: I want to be able to relax, and not worry about smoky summers and natural disasters caused by climate change.

MR. PIPELINE: Hey, Good Time, you're jumping to conclusions. Don't believe everything you read: it's important to be skeptical about climate change.

GOOD TIME: Fat chance, Mr. Pipeline! You and your crowd have been urging climate denial for decades and we're not drinking that Kool-Aid anymore.

PER: The jig's up, Mr. Pipeline. We know better. When climate scientists are giving us dire warnings, we're not listening to the oil lobby. This is a matter of life and death. We're not getting suckered -- we want a liveable future.

MR. PIPELINE: But the industry's been changing. It's getting greener all the time. And, besides, what about the economy and the workers employed by the fossil fuel industry?

NOWCA: Too little too late, Mr. Pipeline. We need to switch to green, non-polluting technologies and transition workers to those. You and your friends know that fossil fuels are a sunset industry.

MR. PIPELINE: But we --

PER: Enough, Mr. Pipeline. We don't want to listen to you anymore. We need to plan for a better future. What tools do we have at our disposal?

NOWCA: Well, Naomi Klein and some of her friends have just launched a new podcast. I always learn something amazing from her, and I respect her sense of where we can best put our energies.

GOOD TIME: Here's another great podcast called Balancing Act by Catherine McGrath on our local radio station, Kootenay Co-op Radio. And don't forget the first seven days of protest with the Extinction Rebellion. Sounds like a great way to build community with our friends, and let the world know that we're serious.

MR. PIPELINE: What?! Now you're trying to start a riot?

NOWCA: You know better, Mr. Pipeline. This is a non-violent action. We'll be rising up together to

image courtesy of Pixabay

let our leaders know that the just transition to a green future is happening whether they like it or not.

MR. PIPELINE: Your political leaders represent you, and are there to look out for your interests.

PER: Then why do they look out for the interests of the fracking and oil and gas industries and big money? Most politicians at the federal and provincial levels are not looking out for the public good, and that's putting all of us in grave danger.

NOWCA: I'll still vote as always, but I realize that it's going to take people power to change things. Our politicians say one thing to get elected, and then stick up for corporate interests afterwards. This is not OK.

MR. PIPELINE: Oh ya? Like who?

PER: Well, there's our federal leader who campaigned as a climate champion but then bought a $4.5 billion dollar pipeline on our behalf and with our tax dollars once he became Prime Minister. Then there's our MLA who spoke out against Site C before being elected, but then supported it once she got into office, even though it made no economic sense to do so.

MR. PIPELINE: Ya, well hydro is clean power.

NOWCA: No, it's not. Not when it's from a mega dam that destroys high quality agricultural land and vital wilderness corridors and is in violation of Indigenous rights.

MR. PIPELINE: You're all just anti-progress.

image courtesy of Pixabay

GOOD TIME: You know better, Mr. Pipeline. The longer we take to transition to clean energy, the more behind we'll be. The whole world is adopting clean technologies, and we're still subsidizing fossil fuels. Every time we invest in fossil fuels instead of what's new and green, we fall behind.

The industry is being phased out, but it still has way too much influence on our politicians.

PER: No one believes you anymore, Mr. Pipeline. It's time for you to get with the future. 2019 is the year people are going to make sure they keep the oil in the soil.

MR. PIPELINE: Oh ya?

NOWCA (taking a drink of coffee): Oh ya. Just watch us.

image courtesy of Pixabay

Winter Solstice in Puppet Land

Winter Solstice was wet and slushy, not white and snowy as was usual for this time of year in the land of the giant puppets. The darkest day of the year marking the return of the sun was upon them.

*******

PER (looking pensively out the window): It should be snowing this time of year, not raining.

image courtesy of Pixabay

MR. PIPELINE: Hey, relax, Per. Less shovelling is fine with me.

PER: The signs are all around us, and what happens at COP24? Virtually nothing. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, fiddling while Rome burns. Elizabeth May got it right when she said the real question that should have been asked was 'Do we want to survive or not?' Our leaders don't seem to grasp the urgency of the environmental crisis we're facing.

And I'm thoroughly bummed out that British Columbians voted against proportional representation. It means it'll be even harder to change things, and to get big money out of politics.

What are we going to do? I feel so helpless.

NOWCA: I hear you, Per. I wish I knew.

MR. PIPELINE: How about doing nothing. Relax! Get with the spirit of the season! Ho, ho, ho!

GOOD TIME: Mr. Pipeline, I agree with you -- 'tis the season and all, but I also get how you're feeling Per and NOWCA. And I miss our season of white. It just doesn't feel the same with rain somehow.

PER (sighing): It's hard to get into the spirit when I feel so much anxiety about what the future holds.

GOOD TIME: You know, Per, even though we lost the pro rep campaign, in the process we've created communities of caring people all over the province. And even though we're from different groups and political parties we've become friends and know how to work together.

NOWCA: That's a good point, Good Time. It's caring people working together who are going to make the world a greener, kinder and fairer place. And the pro rep campaign brought a lot of us together.

Hey, and it's Winter Solstice, an inward and contemplative time. If we want to protect nature, maybe we need to listen to her. Maybe it's a good time to meditate and see what comes to us.

GOOD TIME: I just saw something that might help us to focus our meditation. Every day between January 1st and 7th, 2019, people around the world will demonstrate their feelings about a daily theme in whatever way makes sense to them. Here are the themes:

Day 1 - Earth
Day 2 - Water
Day 3 - Fire
Day 4 - Air
Day 5 - Climate
Day 6 - Biodiversity
Day 7 - Web of life

NOWCA: Maybe we can organize an event. We can't be the only ones feeling this way.

PER: I like the timing. It'll give us a chance to relax and then start the new year off with a bold, global statement.

MR. PIPELINE: Well, don't expect the newspapers to cover it.

NOWCA: You're probably right, Mr. Pipeline. But you know what? We don't need the papers so much anymore. They didn't print letters explaining the benefits of proportional representation, and I'm sure they won't cover these events either.

But nowadays people have their cell phones and the internet, so we know what's going on even when the media doesn't cover it.

PER: And it'll be fun to see how different people interpret these themes. There'll be lots of sharing and commenting, I'm sure.

GOOD TIME: Sounds like fun! People can be so creative, and I love seeing what they come up with.

NOWCA: Me too! And with seven days in a row, I bet people will build on each other's ideas.

MR. PIPELINE: You're wasting your time! 2019 will be business as usual. Your antics won't make any difference.

PER: People aren't going to give up on curbing something as life threatening as climate change. Maybe this will work, or maybe it won't. But something will. Enough people want a future for their kids and grandkids that we'll just keep doing things until we can change the course of our society and economy.

GOOD TIME (sniffing the air): NOWCA, what smells so good? Is there something in the oven?

NOWCA: Yams with figs, peanut butter and pecans. What better way to celebrate earth's goodness than by eating great food, eh?

GOOD TIME (sighing): The simple joys we want for future generations. No one has the right to rob them of their lives and the pleasures of eating, loving and experiencing what's wonderful about being alive.

PER: Thanks, NOWCA, for preparing this food that makes our home smell so good.

NOWCA: You're welcome, Per. Winter Solstice warrants a good meal. I've made a few others things too, but the smell of the yams baking is stealing the show right now.

And here's a little song to welcome in the return of the light. And as the light increases, I know our resolve to make the changes we need will increase as well.

Happy Winter Solstice!

image courtesy of Pixabay

COP24 and Canadian Greenwash

As the temperatures dipped and the rain splashed against the windows, the giant puppets found themselves in hibernation mode. Time to recharge their batteries.

Bundled in their sweaters and thick socks, the puppets were taking in the news about the COP24 talks.

******

 GOOD TIME (sipping tea): NOWCA, what's in this tea? It's delicious!

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: Just rosemary and stevia leaves, Good Time. Nice isn't it?

GOOD TIME (sheepishly): Yes, very. And, um, what does COP24 actually stand for again? I know it's high level talks about the environment.

NOWCA (reading from the computer screen): "COP24 is the informal name for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change."

They have a homepage and a Facebook page.

PER: I've been so impressed with 15 year old Greta Thunberg who spoke there. She's expressed what so many are feeling.

And I've been encouraged by all the people demonstrating.

GOOD TIME: Really?

PER: Yes. On December 10th right outside the talks, there was a demonstration where people demanded that their leaders do a lot more to address climate change.

And people who've joined the Extinction Rebellion have been urging people to take direct, non-violent action on climate change, and demonstrating all over the world.

Then France broke out in Yellow Vest protests against austerity. Austerity is NOT the route to a just transition to a green future. It sounds like their President, Emmanuel Macron, is listening, but I hope he goes far enough, and I hope other countries follow his lead. Our Prime Minister could learn a thing or two from the way he's giving ordinary people more spending power. Just like a lot of places in the world, life is getting harder all the time for most Canadians.

NOWCA: Speaking of Canadians, have you heard about Autumn Peltier? She's a 13 year old Anishnaabe girl from Wikwemikong First Nation who will address world leaders and the United Nations next spring about protecting water.

I hope decision makers around the world listen to her. We can't keep damaging our water the way we have been. Fracking, fish farms, tailing ponds -- they all have to become a thing of the past.

MR. PIPELINE (perking up): What?! No they don't. We need oil and gas and farmed fish.

PER: I wouldn't worry too much, Mr. Pipeline.

Sadly, Canada's doing more on paper than on the ground. For example, Environmental Defence and Stand Earth released a report at COP24 showing that emissions from the oil and gas sector in Canada continue to rise. And because of intensive lobbying from that industry, about 80 per cent of those emissions will be exempt from the federal carbon price.

This, despite the fact that the 'big five' oil companies made over $13.5 billion last year alone.

MR. PIPELINE (chuckling): You've got to hand it to them, they sure know how to manage perceptions.

NOWCA: And our governments also know how to make things look good that are actually anything but.

Look at that $40 billion LNG plant in Northern BC. Our governments are claiming this is green partly because they plan to fuel it with electricity generated from Site C. But Site C violates indigenous rights, is made up of prime agricultural land and irreplaceable wildlife habitat that the dam would destroy. Besides that it would displace people who've lived there for generations, and the land they plan to build on is unstable. And the subsidies LNG are receiving are massive. And BC's public sector pension funds are invested in LNG and other destructive industries.

So not only is that $40 billion being invested in a dirty sunset industry instead of the green technology of tomorrow, but it will still create way too many emissions, and the electricity they're claiming is green does all kinds of environmental and social damage.

PER: And don't forget the pipeline Trudeau bought for $4.5 billion as part of Canada's transition to a green economy. Is that an oxymoron or what?

MR. PIPELINE (smiling): Ya, those folks have always had a way with words.

GOOD TIME: I wonder if Autumn knows about the fish farms on our Pacific coast. Another industry that destroys our environment while depending on pension funds, this time on Canadian Pension Plan funds. No one explains the problems -- the effluent, the sea lice, the disease -- that poison our endangered Pacific Salmon like Alexandra Morton who fights tirelessly to rid our coast of them before our wild salmon stocks collapse. The thing is, the fish from those farms are highly toxic, and they're sold to restaurants and cruise ships.

MR. PIPELINE: Good Time, you're just biased. Farmed fish will feed the world!

GOOD TIME: Not according to some researchers. And what the government is doing about fish farms in our coastal waters is so confusing that I wonder if it's even relevant.

MR. PIPELINE (chuckling): Ya, when people are confused they stop paying attention. All the better

image courtesy of Pixabay

for us.

PER: You think that's funny, Mr. Pipeline? How funny is your contaminated drinking water? Right now in our own backyard our watersheds are being clearcut. And we'll all have to drink dirty water if it continues.

MR. PIPELINE (no longer smiling): I'm thinking about how we can stop it. That's too close to home for me.

NOWCA: Really, all of it's too close to home. Our planet is our home. We depend on her for our lives, and we have to care for her. Listening to these COP24 talks makes me want to wear a yellow vest like the people in France, and join the Extinction Rebellion. Our political leaders are paying lip service to the environment, and the genuine concerns of the world's people are being ignored.

What can we do when our political representatives repeatedly stand up for big business instead of the citizens they're responsible to? I don't know anymore.

PER: I know, NOWCA, it's overwhelming. But there are some hopeful rumblings. Besides the yellow vest movement and the Extinction Rebellion, there's also the Green New Deal in the USA and Canada's own Leap Manifesto. As well, Bernie Sanders and Yanis Varoufakis are launching an international movement against the far right.

And many around the world are reaching the end of their rope. Those in power don't have their best interests at heart, and many no longer believe the usual players.

GOOD TIME: I hope you're right, Per. Things just can't go on the way they are. Every year it's harder for people to get by. Something's got to give.

PER: Right now, the best we can do is rest up and rejuvenate. We're going to need all our strength to get through this crazy time in history. How about if I put on the kettle and make more of that delicious tea? It's time to relax, build our strength and get focused.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: I agree, Per. We need to replenish ourselves.

But I think while we're at it we can manage a weekly hike with our RAPP forms and our cell phones to take pictures of what's happening in the woods.

This Monday, December 16th, there'll be one in Balfour and I hope we can arrange carpooling, since there's some seriously damaging logging they're trying to do there.

Hiking is a lovely, relaxing activity, and a great way of getting to know others who are concerned about the kind of logging that's going on here.

GOOD TIME: Bring food, take pictures, walk in the woods -- sounds like a great time to me. Let's do it!

image courtesy of Pixabay

Special Cookies for the Puppets

Just over two weeks. That's how long until the ballots would be counted. The referendum will determine whether or not British Columbians will get a Proportional Representation voting system.

It's ordinary people wanting a more democratic system up against big money which supports the First Past the Post system. Big money gets its way more easily under First Past the Post.

For months, people have been demonstrating, posting to social media and canvassing their neighbourhoods.

As November becomes colder and darker, the puppets and their friends are getting tired. Time to rest, to dream and catch up on some reading. And to eat some special cookies.

*******

NOWCA, Per and Good Time were sitting in the living room reading. Per's feet were up on the ottoman with the newspaper spread out -- still no letters in support of proportional representation. So many people had sent them in -- why weren't they being printed?

NOWCA was engrossed in a novel by Thomas King, and Good Time was reading articles and messages from friends on Facebook.

GOOD TIME (looking up from the laptop): Oh, this video's really cute! And I've got to say, I'm so grateful for everyone's favourite tool, the referendum guide quiz. When people say the options are confusing, wham! It shows which options align best with their values, and their confusion is gone.

image courtesy of Pixabay

PER (sighing): I know pro rep's a big deal, but gee I'm getting tired.

GOOD TIME: Me too. And losing my inspiration.

PER: Is all this work worth it? What if we're doing all this and the no side wins?!

NOWCA: Maybe it's time to take a few days off and recharge: relax, do a bit of reading, put our feet up, drink tea...

AND I made some cookies! Some very special cookies, with a very special ingredient ... maybe it'll help us to dream, and to come up with a strategy that'll win this referendum!

Per, will you give me a hand? If you can bring the tea pot and a couple of cups into the living room, I'll bring in the plate of cookies.

PER (getting up and walking to the kitchen): Sure, NOWCA -- really? You made them with the special ingredient I'm thinking of?

NOWCA (bringing in a plate of cookies): I think you're hot on the trail, Per: the special ingredient was illegal in Canada until about a month ago. The other ingredients are standard peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie ingredients.

GOOD TIME (reaching for a cookie): NOWCA! You surprise me. But since you went to the trouble of making them, I'll give one a try.

PER (taking a cookie): Thanks, NOWCA. I'll try one too.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA (pouring them all tea and taking a cookie): I like mine dipped in tea and sogged up a little.

PER: Tastes pretty good, but there's a bit of an earthy aftertaste.

GOOD TIME (taking a bite of a cookie): I taste it too. Not bad, really, just a little different.

NOWCA: Aw, that's the special ingredient! It does alter the flavour a bit.

After they each ate a cookie, the puppets went back to what they'd been reading. About half an hour later MR. PIPELINE walked into the room.

MR. PIPELINE: Cookies? Don't mind if I do.

NOWCA (holding out the plate): Help yourself, Mr. Pipeline. But they're very special cookies.

MR. PIPELINE (popping one into his mouth): Hmm. It has a slightly unusual edge to it.

NOWCA: Yes, it's a bit of an odd flavour isn't it? Another?

MR. PIPELINE (popping another into his mouth): The taste is growing on me.

GOOD TIME (starting to giggle): Mr. Pipeline, don't you want to know what makes them special?

MR. PIPELINE: I care about results, not details. They're good cookies and that's all I want to know.

PER (giggling): Oh, I think you'll be getting results. What are you up to?

MR. PIPELINE (walking out of the living room): Bookkeeping. I'll be in my office.

PER, NOWCA and GOOD TIME all burst out laughing.

NOWCA (gasping for breath): Well, good luck with that, Mr. Pipeline.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA, PER and GOOD TIME, in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, had tears streaming down their faces. Finally, NOWCA and Per put down their reading material and Good Time turned off the laptop.

PER: We should have told Mr. Pipeline what the special ingredient was, don't you think?

GOOD TIME (between giggles): We offered to, but he didn't want to know.

PER: I wonder how his bookkeeping is going...

NOWCA (giggling): I imagine he'll be changing his activity before too long.

Anyways, I spy with my little eye something that is pink.

PER: That pink cushion?

NOWCA: Good guess, Per, but nope.

GOOD TIME: I know! Is it that beautiful blossom on the Christmas Cactus?

NOWCA: Yes! Isn't it exquisite?

PER: It's so complex -- amazing really. Even though the world is in such a crazy state, there are still bits of profound beauty here and there.

The puppets sat and stared at the blossom. After some time had passed, Mr. Pipeline walked back into the room.

MR. PIPELINE (looking around): What are you doing?

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA (pointing to the Christmas Cactus): Looking at the beautiful blossom on the Christmas cactus.

MR. PIPELINE: It's extraordinary! That blossom is divine! I've never really looked closely at one before.

Funny, I feel a little odd. Just can't wrap my head around the books for some reason.

NOWCA: Here, I'll pour you some tea, Mr. Pipeline.

MR. PIPELINE: I can't take my eyes off that blossom. It's like a small miracle right under my nose.

NOWCA: Yes, we're so lucky to be able to see beauty when it presents itself, aren't we?

MR. PIPELINE: I've never thought of it that way but, yes, we are.

NOWCA: It's such a wonderful thing to be able to drink tea and look at the beauty around us, isn't it? What could be nicer?

MR. PIPELINE: It almost makes me want to cry.

PER: Beauty does that to me sometimes too, Mr. Pipeline. It makes me so happy to be alive.

MR. PIPELINE (looking around): I look into your faces and see such indescribable loveliness. How have I missed this before? My companions, and I only just noticed that each of you is a universe I barely know. How does that happen?

NOWCA: How do so many things happen, Mr. Pipeline? How do we take life for granted? How do we lose our ability to appreciate? Where do those things go?

MR. PIPELINE: So many of us have stopped noticing, haven't we? We have deadlines, and bills to pay, and we miss out.

GOOD TIME: I hope it's not too late.

MR. PIPELINE: What do you mean, Good Time?

GOOD TIME: Well, I worry that the way we're destroying life around us, we'll pull the plug on the future, and we'll be some the last ones to be able to enjoy these simple things.

MR. PIPELINE: No need to worry, Good Time, things aren't so bad...

PER: Why do you say that, Mr. Pipeline? Our planetary situation is dire, and everyone I know is worried sick and scrambling to make things better. Right now we're focusing on proportional representation here in BC so citizens will have more control. But nothing feels like enough.

MR. PIPELINE: You have to be patient.

image courtesy of Pixabay

NOWCA: Maybe we've been too patient, Mr. Pipeline. We should have put our foot down long ago. No matter how bad the situation gets, corporations keep mining and drilling and fracking and building pipelines. When's it going to stop?

MR. PIPELINE: Maybe sooner than you think. Have you seen the price of oil lately?

PER: Maybe you're right, Mr. Pipeline. Maybe we're just a flimsy membrane away from a breakthrough. Not just with pipelines and fracking, but with a worldview that honours all of life instead of seeing everything as a way of making money.

MR. PIPELINE: Maybe, Per. Maybe.

NOWCA: So many of us have been pushing so hard for so long. Something's got to give.

GOOD TIME: Maybe a push or two harder and things will start turning around.

PER: In many ways, they're already turning around. We just have to speed things up. Maybe groups like Extinction Rebellion will give us the extra oomph the world needs.

MR. PIPELINE: And with the price of oil there could be a confluence of factors that trips the switch so to speak. Why am I talking like this, anyways? Why can I suddenly see your points of view?

NOWCA: I think it was the special cookies, Mr. Pipeline. An ingredient recently legalized in Canada is what makes them special.

MR. PIPELINE: No wonder my bookkeeping was so confusing! I've put smilies in places where I should have put numbers!

The three other puppets burst into giggles and soon Mr. Pipeline joined them.

NOWCA: Mr. Pipeline, I like you. And I apologize for giving you those cookies, but am really grateful to be getting to know your gentler side.

MR. PIPELINE (bursting into tears): NOWCA, that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.

The puppets surrounded Mr. Pipeline in a group hug as he sobbed, and as the sun shone brightly on the Christmas Cactus.

image courtesy of Pixabay