I hope you are well as you read this blog post.
Our current political climate here in the USA continues to be extraordinarily challenging, but we did get some promising political news from our neighbor to the north recently…
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
I strive on a daily basis to find a balance between engagement — giving tiny amounts of money to political races around the country, sending postcards to potential voters in those races, writing to my elected officials, reading the news, etc. — and disengagement so that I can cultivate a little bit of optimism, hope, love and respect (which seem to be in short supply these days… at least in certain corridors of power.
Returning to my earliest blog posts has become part of the latter — soul nurturing — strategy.
I love being reminded of events which I have forgotten about — and also being reminded of how my life has unfolded/changed/evolved during the past decade.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
If you are curious, you are welcome to visit (or re-visit if you are a long-time follower…) a blog post about spontaneity from October 4, 2013 by clicking here.
It reminds me about the ongoing balance in our lives between being well-prepared and surrendering to the present moment.
Thank you for reading yet another one of my blog posts.
And thank you to the wonderful photographers at Pixabay for these glorious photos of tulips!
Deep breath of gratitude in.
Deep breath of gratitude out.
amusicalifeonplanetearth 
The French complain about Macron but don’t appreciate their good fortune
Yes, I am often reminded of Joni Mitchell’s lyrics from “Big Yellow Taxi” — “Don’t it always seem to go that we don’t know what we’ve got ’til it’s gone…”
Thank you for the beautiful tulips, and remember, nothing lasts forever. Your country’s extraordinary situation will change as the present administration’s popularity is down to 39% only.
Joanna
Yes. Lao Tse — and many others — often remind me that only change is guaranteed here on planet earth.
Yes, and taxes!
Joanna
Indeed. Our taxes recently paid for new sidewalks in our neighborhood. I didn’t have a sense that we needed them — and I hope that all of the trees whose roots were bashed/cut in the process will survive. But they do look nice and will probably be a bit easier to shovel next winter…
I do hope that trees didn’t suffer and will survive!
Joanna
We shall see…
It is a balancing act to be conscious of all the terrible things around us, but also the beauty and memories. I’ll go look at your throwback post now. (And yes, Yay Canada!)
Thank you!!!!
You’re welcome!
It sounds like you’re doing well at balancing the work of resistance with self care Will. It’s very important and hard to do. It’s hard to follow the news and not become overwhelmed.
Indeed it is, Brad. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. I DO find myself wondering if well-meaning non-Jewish, non-Gypsy, non-queer German citizens in the 1930s tried to balance their daily happiness and their political activism in the same way that many of us are now attempting to do here in the USA… Time will tell! And another deep breath in. Deep breath out.
Hugs…
Your balancing act of engagement and disengagement seems to be working, so well done! When one is anxious and trying to deal with all sorts of pressures, it is just like walking a tightrope – or at least, what I imagine walking a tightrope is like!! My younger daughter is finding ‘the news’ difficult to take in at present and becomes overwhelmed very quickly. Not just our British politics but world politics and how we all ought to work together but don’t; at all! It is all quite frightening. We are trying to get her to do one positive thing a day but it is an uphill struggle. I enjoyed reading your post from 2013. Music can make such a difference to our lives if we can just make time for it.
I love your idea of one positive act per day as a potential antidote to feeling ooverwhelmed/terrified. May your daughter — and all of us — find (and re-find) ways to remain human and respectful and courageous going forward!
Thank you, Will.
We will win in the end, and the end is coming soon.
I will surf on your passionate prediction, Cindy, when my own enthusiasm/hopefulness begins to wane…
😍
We all need techniques that we know can help us feel peaceful. Much to my surprise, one grandson finds the pressure of a chess game, where he can’t think about anything else, very peaceful!
I loved learning more about your chess-loving grandson when we had a few minutes to chat before my last NC visit. Hurrah that he has found this passion/sanctuary!