Hope renewed

I know this feeling won't last forever

but, boy, does it feel good 

for right now!

The much needed reminder that you're not alone;

that you're not the only one that thinks our country is seriously out of whack;

that the cruelty which is SO the point of the current administrations policies 

do NOT represent who the majority of the citizens in this country are;

the possibility, no matter how slight, that there will be an end,

a reckoning,

of this terrible period in our history.

 

My sign was ready.

And, after much debate - and an ongoing argument with my brother,

I painted over the NO Dic tator sign and replaced it with

No Mad King.

There were several protests planned in our area and I went to the closest one.

I had every intention of joining the larger event downtown several hours later,

but between my health, the heat and symptoms of dehydration,

I opted for AC and home instead.

 Luckily, there were thousands of people to cover for me.

 

St Louis turned out in glorious style.

 

It was heartwarming to see.

I know I'll be returning to these images in the months ahead -

reminders that there are like minded people out there IN DROVES

who object to what's being done in our names, 

to our country

in the coming 3 years -

oh god, that's a long time!!

 

Soaking up every glimmer of joy I can to get through.

 

Art Boy had an exhibit in Kansas City last weekend

and, on opening night, sold 7 of his paintings.

I was SO pleased for him.

Had a quick visit with him before he headed west again.

Stay cool out there!

And grab your joy where you can find it!

Day by day

I haven't found my footing. 

I struggle through every day, feeling "off".

And nothing comes closer to explaining how I feel 

than the article I'm sharing below.

                                                          I think I'm grieving. Not a person.

But a framework.

A shared sense of decency. Of clarity. Of what's right

and it's way off. 

 

Lately, everything feels a little untethered

and I don't think I'm

the only one feeling it.

 

This isn't burnout.

It's heartbreak without a name.

The world feels ... off.

 

Truth is slippery.

Cruelty wears a mask called "authenticity".

 

And attention? It's currency now

spent constantly, without care.

 

We scroll past genocide, 

then post a selfie.

Leaders lie.

Suffering becomes content.

And somewhere in the chaos...

we're expected to just keep functioning.

 

But we weren't built for this kind of detachment.

And your body knows it. 

So maybe what you're feeling

isn't stress,

or burnout,

or distraction.

Maybe it's grief.

 

Not for a person, but for a moral compass

we didn't realize we lost.

 

For the values you thought were

universal. For accountability.

For the quiet agreements we once shared

but can't seem to find anymore.

 

It's not dysfunction.

It's your integrity reacting to distortion. 

No selfcare 'hack' can touch this.

No cold plunge.

No smoothie.

No optimized protocol.

Because this isn't fatigue.

It's a soul level ache.

 

The kind that comes from seeing too much.

Feeling too much.

Caring in a world that keeps 

asking you to numb.

 

You're not broken.

You're awake...

in a world that keeps trying

to sleep through the sirens.

 

It's not just burnout. It's grief.

Grief for a world that forgot how to care. 

For truth that keeps slipping.

 For a moral center that no longer holds. 

 

May you be reminded that heartbreak isn't dysfunction,

it's proof that you still know what's true.

 

Dr Zelena

 

 For those of us "of a certain age",

we've had enough loss to know there's no hurrying grief;

it takes as long as it takes.

 

And, on top of the grieving, you add a region struck by tornadoes

 and all the 'normal' events of living a life -

 

 

usually with gladness and gratitude

but frequently blanketed with concern for the world in which

they'll grow up.

 

It really does come down to

one step at a time.

 

 

 

Peep words of wisdom

 For over a decade, my Lenten discipline has been playing with Peeps -

yup, the Easter candy synonymous with the holiday

and either loved or despised by millions. 

I don't eat them, but they make great models

and alter egos for my thoughts.

 

Here are some from this year.