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Friday, June 27, 2025

Just over here grabbing JOY

 which doesn't negate
 for a minute
the HUGE BS Bill which could negate health care 
for millions,
 a bomb strike by a leader of another country as corrupt as ours is,
human beings -who sought out this country for a better life -
as did most of OUR relatives, generations back -
now being handcuffed by masked militia and sent to prisons
in foreign countries with no accountability or due process
and lets not forget zip tying seniors
IN WHEELCHAIRS
for the crime of exercising their freedom of speech.
 
Just when you think they can't sink any lower,
they find a new rung on the evolutionary ladder.
 
So, just a reminder
 Despite all things political,
beauty remains
 and is a stunning reminder that even the current regime
can't destroy all the 'good' that is out there!
Friends who are master gardeners get out there,
playing in dirt in all our Midwestern heat,
creating harbors of beauty. 
and invitations to look for even more beauty in backyards.



When I saw THIS piece of what looks to be a pile of confetti on Instagram,
it was love at first sight.
Such a great reminder that there's something to celebrate
every day -
as long as you look for it
and stay open to ways to surprise and delight yourself!

 

Monday, June 16, 2025

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!



Tuesday, May 20, 2025

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.

 
 
 

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

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.