Our Old Tea Kettle

The tea kettle spoke to us today and said, “No more heat, please. I am old and wishing to be a container for cool water for others besides yourselves.”

“Who?” I asked back, and she looked at me with her broken wing and said, “The trees and flowers in the pots by the south facing windows.”

And I replied with a smile, “Of course.”

Who said a burnt kettle must be buried in the dump when it has no hole in its bottom? And who said, though it can no longer apply itself with a whistle for our benefit, it must be let out to the trash heap and released?

WHO told us not to listen to its quiet voice in our heads?

Much that is used by us humans is made of either non-decomposable elements or a mixture of elements which decompose and others which do not. The elements which don't decompose — such as the plastic top here which only managed to melt — will only be buried for centuries and release whatever it is plastics release into the soil as it slowly decomposes. Stainless steel lives a long time too, and is one of the few materials that could actually be remelted and reused ad ifinitem (so I have been told by a local energy researching geek). So, what are we going to do with these things which don't get repaired easily an get easily totted off to the dump? How can we reuse these things in different ways?

I asked the gnomes, "Is there anything we humans can do to stop so much of this tossing almost perfectly good things in the dump?"

"Yes, of course! We're glad you asked! Tea Kettle has already spoken how, in her heart, would like to be useful. First and foremost, listen carefully to WHATEVER object you question. They know, because it is THEIR physical bodies you are talking about.

"So, do you understand a little better now?"

"Yes, I think I do."

"Then you will understand that your answers lie in your CONVERSATIONS with things?"

"Yes, that makes a lot of sense."

"Well, it should, because you humans were one of the few communicators to cross communicate between the Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral kingdoms.

"Long ago you could speak to some old, faded Animal tracks and understand the pace, gait, type of Animal and what direction that Animal was heading.

"Long ago, you knew of coming storms as Wind blew ahead and spoke to Tree and Tree spoke in rustles and swishes to you.

"Long ago, you spoke to Rock and absorbed its quiet stillness and solid sense of knowing.

"And long ago, you listened to the hiss and boom of the tides and lived in your heart's pulsing.

"You must listen carefully now. There are newly manifested materials, which mean many new languages for you to understand and learn to communicate with. Listen in the quiet space in your center, where language is born. There, you will begin to understand."