Day: February 5, 2018

They are quiet people, all of them, they work long and hard hours for little pay, they do hard and testing work that is sometimes thankless, sometimes unpleasant, sometimes wonderfully rewarding.

I call them Bodhisattvas, Goddesses of Mercy And Compassion.

They must be available and loving and patient, even in the face of need, pain,  frustration and provocation.

And they are.

I found five of them gathered in the Mansion office for a meeting and badgered them to come out into the hallway for a photo, i love this photo, their generosity of spirit and kindness simply pours out of them.

I have watched them work for a long time now in the Mansion, and I marvel that in our fragmented and often contentious and divided world, there are people working so quietly and faithfully behind the scenes, uncomplaining, empathetic, diligent.

I suspect some of them have never heard of the Bodhisattvas, they are shy and quiet.

I don’t know where they get the smiles that pour so naturally out of them. They are intensely loving and considerate. They brighten lives and soothe troubled souls, and listen forever to laments and complaints and sorrows.

This work – they see suffering and death almost daily – does not ever seem to harden them or make them cynical or cold. I don’t know where they come from or  how they do what they do.

They change diapers, wipe bottoms, help the frail bathe and dress, clean those who can’t always clean themselves.

They fill in for families that rarely appear, comfort those who are alone, guide those who have lost their memories, bear the brunt of frustration and anger.

The Bodhisattva vow is the vow some  Buddhists take by cultivating moral and spiritual perfection to be placed in the service of others, to do work others don’t care to do, and the practice the six perfections of giving:

moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom in order to fulfill their goal of  compassion and mercy for all beings.

It is a wonderful vow, imagine if our political leaders took it.

I am not a Buddhist, but I have often read of the fabled Bodhisattavas and their vow, and I can’t help but think of them when I see this remarkable women lift up the lives of people on the edge of loneliness, abandonment and suffering.

The elderly in our country are often shoved out of sight and mind, forgotten by a greedy and distracted  and aspiritual culture. These women are often all that stands between them and a life of struggle and disconnection. They are family and friends and caretakers.

They are Bodhisattavas.

I think the Five Bodhisattvas are a good name for them, even if it is not a name they would ever call themselves. They are the very definition of selflessness.

They live it.

Frida likes to look at her reflection off the glass and preen a bit. She seems to have a high opinion of herself.

They say goldfish are happy alone, but I am struck by the instant attachment of Frida and Diego for one another, just like their namesakes. They are always together, doing their dance, a kind of ballet, zooming up and down an back, almost always in motion.

I think goldfish need other fish, like donkeys need other donkeys and sheep need other sheep.

Meet Boris, a Plecostomos fish (Pleco)  from the Amazon, a hardy, algae-eating bottom feeder who helps keep the tank clean. He is nocturnal, attaches himself to the side of the aquarium with powerful suckers,  and eats almost anything. We have three fish in the tank – Frida, Diego, and Boris and two bumblebee snails Maria has named Emily and Lewis.

We have a 10 gallon tank and that’s all the fish we are getting. Boris, who was hiding behind the filter,  seems a peaceful and industrious sort.

A staffer came up to me at the Mansion today and asked if I would spend some time with Diane, she was restless today, pacing the halls and distracted. I approached her with a book we could read together and she did read for awhile, but then I saw she kept looking at Red, she loves animals Red was zeroing in on her, as she does.

I thought he might be what she needed, and I decided he needed to get up on the couch with her, so I pointed and said “up” and he jumped up and the two of them communed for awhile, and Diane calmed down before my eyes.

She kept saying to Red, “no one will hurt you, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” over and over again until she was at ease and totally focused on him, and he on her. Red is an analyst in his own right.

He has the power to soothe and perhaps heal. Animals have enormous healing powers.

You can write to Diane and the other residents of the Mansion c/o The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.  Here is a list of the Mansion residents who wish to receive  your cards or messages or photos. A box of stuffed animals arrived at the Mansion today for Valentine’s day, and thanks.

The names are Winnie, Jean, Ellen, Mary, Gerry, Sylvie, Jane, Diane, John, Alice, Jean, Madeline, Joan, Alan, Bill, John K, Helen, Bob, Alanna, Barbara, Peggie, Dorothy, Tim, Debbie, Art, Guerda, Brenda, Wayne, Ken, Ruth.

Thanks, your letters mean so much to them. On Valentine’s Day we will open your many gifts and packages and letters, and the Round House Cafe is offering a special lasagna lunch with cookies and cakes.I’m thinking about Easter now.