The sun also arises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to its place where it arose.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
I’m not much for reading the Bible but I love the odd aphorism. And lately, Ecclesiastes’ “the sun also rises” and Psalm 19 have been ringing in my head.
So I thought I’d better unpack what it meant to me.
Recently, the Beloved and I sold our rural property.
What? I hear you gasp? After all these years of struggle as owner builders?
Yes, that’s true. After all those years of struggle. Being a niche, green, feminist, left-wing, activist consultant was a difficult balancing act – especially throughout the Global Financial Crisis.
I blogged about that in January 2014:
https://sarkissian.com.au/activism-planning-australia-delicate-balancing-act/
Work was hard to find and debts mounted as the house was still not finished. All our savings and super went into the building project.
We love it. But professional work did not come as expected.
A loving friend has bought the house and we stay on as renters.
Now we are engaged in another project: renovating the shed as a secondary dwelling. Living on a building site again. Muddy boots in the hall. Again.
Many friends and family were aghast to hear that we’d sold the farm.
But what else could we do? It was either a loving friend or the bank. And we did not want to lose everything we had worked for.
So I say back to my incredulous friends, “The sun also rises.”
What I mean is – through the same trees – with the same birds singing – the same sun still rises and sets– whether your name is on the title or not.
If you do not own a property and are a renter, the same breeze blows, the same kookaburra arrives for a peek at life around dinner time. His or her same family members laugh in unison from the neighbouring tree. The same rainbow lorikeet dreams in the same bottle brush.
The same joey suckles with his same wallaby mother.
I am not saying that housing security is not important. It’s everything to everyone and a constant worry to anyone who is a renter. It’s everything to us, which is why we bless our generous friend.
I am simply saying that life goes on.
The Earth continues to flourish – offering hope and opportunity in response to our caring (Go, Bentley!).
The same sun rises and sets.
Our human dramas are but a small and ephemeral part of a much larger world.
We come and go and the Earth remains.
Capitalism, finance, banks, mortgages, investments, interest, valuations and property – they are all made up – and they can’t hold a candle to the same sun.
The same sun that also rises.
Update 23 July 2015: The sun is still rising over the hills and melting the fog in the valley. And we have experienced even more love and care with a new friend taking over when the old friend could not continue.
And other generous folk helping out in numerous ways. We have learned more about generosity, caring, home, attachment, territory, resilience and fear than we bargained for.
And a bit about betrayal along the way, as well, just to keep the mix interesting!