Looking for America

“Time it was and what a time it was”

“Papa. Do they have tables in Amerita? Do they have chairs too?” After being  relieved at the positive answer received, the little lad thought some more. “I’m going to make a snowman and go to the beach too.”

“Papa, are we gonna ride cows at Grammy’s house?”

There has been much written about the American Dream but never have I equated it with cow riding. At this stage in their lives the little lads have only hopes and dreams of America. Earlier today Benjamin started explaining to Michael how good America would be because you can drink the water in the bathtub. “Water in America bathtubs tastes yummy. We can drink it all.”

Perhaps not the dream I had as a child, but it makes sense. After calmed of their initial fears, “Will there be pillows?”, “Do they have grocery stores?”, “How do we get food?”, etc. they were free to dream. And dream they did. Grandmothers with helicopters, snowmen on beaches, cows that don’t overtake the roads but allow for free rides, and so forth. My own dreams of America faded and then reintroduced themselves over the years. They are more guarded and adhere to the laws of physics and culture but they are still there. I may not be following the approach of Gatsby on my own quest of discovery, but the dream is there. So who am I to tell the lads we don’t ride cows down streets in America.

The possibility of the American Dream is still up for debate in philosophical and literary circles, however, we all know the value of a dream. It drives us onward when all seems impossible. It encourages us to think beyond and grows into a passion that never fades away. Our dreams morph and mature us while keeping us young and alive. The discussion of dreams, be they American or Kenyan, shouldn’t be on whether or not a lion safari is going to happen in America with a polar bear but rather how can we make this safari happen. Maybe Tom Wolfe had it correct when he explored what it takes to have the right stuff. So as I wonder about the possibilities of a saddle to fit on a cow, I know that it is not just two little lads who are excited to discover the new world of America.

“Papa. Is Amerita far far away?” Yes, it’s in another galaxy.

“And walked off to look for America.”

***

Italicized quotes taken from songs by Simon and Garfunkle: Bookends and America respectively.

The Right Stuff– Tom Wolfe

The Great Gatsby– F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

Such a tool as this

If your only tool is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail. — Gambian proverb

As I sit around the house eating bon-bons each day there are occasions that interrupt the quiet monotony of being with young children.  The arrival of the repair man is one such example. Now the repair man, be it plumber, electrician, mechanic, or whatever, always arrives in similar form. Walking up to the front gate with seemingly nothing to show other than interest in what is broken. After explaining and showing the problem then without fail he fishes around in his pocket to produce a tool for the job. Sometimes I have seen the fixer drag out a screwdriver and wrench but usually it is just a single tool. There was one guy who went out after looking at the problem and came back two hours later with the blade of a hacksaw. Not a handle or saw itself, just the blade. I also saw a repair man come to fix a satellite dish without bringing a ladder. His plan was to stand on a car to reach the roof. On the plus side, he did have a screwdriver. I’m not sure if this is learned in the various apprenticeships or tech schools attended but it does seem to be a standard.

Kenya subscribes to the “1 tool fits all” philosophy of repair. If the tool doesn’t quite fit the problem then just apply more force. If that doesn’t work then maybe standards should be lowered so you can just live with the problem. Recently a plumber spent a day fixing the various leaks around our house. Of the six problems that have been acquiring while I was eating bon bons two were fixed completely. The rest was attempted and looked good while he stood over them but then a few hours after he left, the reality of the 1 tool fits all philosophy could be seen. There are certainly times for us all to improvise, but having the right tool for the job is necessary. Couldn’t the same be said about our lives? We often force a fix in our lives that never addresses the root of the problem and thus it is never repaired. Like wrapping plumbers tape and twine on a cracked and leaking base of a toilet. It may look like it will hold up but it’s only a matter of time before the real problem shows itself again. It’s a philosophical issue.

Christians are provided the right tools for the job. In fact we even have the ultimate fixer we can turn to. However, if you’re anything like me, we’re trying to use a wrench as a hammer and tape as a panacea for our lives. Nothing more than a temporary reprieve from the issue at hand. Then we stand back thinking it’s good enough while refusing to call the true repair man. We have armor (Ephesians 6:10-17), fruit (Galatians 5:22-26), and a clear process to grow in our spiritual repair (2 Peter 1:3-11) just to mention a few tools needed for life. A complete tool box if you will. Are not these tools given for such a time as this? But again, it’s a philosophical issue.

Of course having the right tools in your possession and not using them doesn’t fix the toilet either.

An ax without a handle does not split firewood. — African proverb

 

Pet Sounds

With the premise that in my old age I won’t recall much of anything, here are a few memories from time spent in a lightly wooded area outside of Nairobi, Kenya. A mere glimpse into the pet sounds of our living conditions.

Fade in barking dogs…

 

** Into the Wild**

The facts… a Masai gate guard and I chased away a stray dog that got into the compound and killed one of the neighbor’s chickens. My heart pounded and adrenaline pumped as I ran with the Masai that day. I’m sure it was quite a sight to see the Masai man hiking up his sarong like clothes pitching, with great precision might I add, stones at cujo while a little white man followed as closely as possible, while hiking up his shorts, and trying to lob rocks in the general direction of the terror. Military strategy must be part of the Masai mind because the ease and precision with which he drove the dog away was astounding. David killing Goliath with a single stone became reality for me that day.

The analysis… Although similar with external appearances, running in flip-flops, waving sticks, throwing stones, and hiking up clothes, I contributed little if any warrior assistance that day. I guess I just wasn’t made for these times or else the warrior comes from within. Either way I’m pretty sure I was the comic relief for this drama. Ah, now that’s a great boost to my manhood.

We have two Ibis nesting above our house screaming and “painting” everything underneath. Kind of a daily reminder that we are not alone. There are also large black Sykes monkeys crashing through the trees and little grey Vervet monkeys peering from the trees and the top of our house with their ghostly little faces. Kind of makes your heart skip a beat as you walk out the front door or down the lane. Hidden faces and low flying screamers put a quickness in your step and a watchful eye on your children. Their presence incites dogs near and far to sound their battle cries. Life in Kenya, be it around your house or the security checks and war on Al-Shabaab, is often about alertness and taking precautions.

Hundreds of thousands of falling crawling ants. Raining into our closets, dropping from our clothes, nesting in our lives. Infestation is not a word that accurately describes the situation. It was an attempted coup-de-tat. After spotting a couple of the little creatures on the wall a quick spray of Doom should have done the trick. Instead it incited a revolt that lasted just over three months. In the aftermath, when the pesticides had cleared and the dudu dust had settled on the land; five nests were found above the ceiling, four nests just outside the house, one in the pipes of our kitchen sink (the cracked dry one that the landlord will never fix), and countless places among the trees just outside of our property. Of the five different types of ants around our house I’m just thankful that it was not the large biting safari ant that staged the rebellion. The war is far from over but at least we’re not picking sugar ants out of our clothes anymore.

Recently there has been a wild cat, affectionately named Caroline, raiding and terrorizing the neighborhood. Screams and howls followed by intense hissing and guttural noises can really disrupt the peace, or a little boy’s nap. And that’s just wrong. In response to this terror the dog and I have been doing covert operations and ambushes to deter this menace. It seems to be working and a bonus to it all is that Buddy, the dog, feels like he’s accomplishing something with his life.

** Compound Capers**

And then there was the morning that a monkey snuck into a school bus. I guess he was irritated that he chose a stationary means of transport because he honked the horn. God only knows what would have happened if he figured out the radio. Apart from the obvious lesson to always close and lock your windows it seems to me that living here requires patience for all creatures great and small.

A while ago I got a panicky phone call from a neighbor asking for help. One of the neighbor’s sheep got its head stuck in an empty paint can.  After the laughter subsided and the biblical analysis had ended the sheep was saved from himself. Incidentally, Michael got his foot stuck in a can with similar results

Geckos and salamanders playing hide and seek inside the house. Always a surprise when you lift something to find them hiding underneath smiling at you and ready for the next round of the game.

While running late and dragging a reluctant boy, the dog ran away to chase the neighbor’s sheep just as I was heading out the gate to lead a Bible study. Topic of the study: Patience. Even at that moment the irony was not lost on me. I guess God’s not finished with me yet.

Fade out barking dogs…