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.

Words of wisdom

 

My grandmother once gave me a tip:

in difficult times, you move forward in small steps .

 

Do what you have to do, but little by little.

 

Don't think about the future, or what may happen tomorrow.

 

Wash the dishes.

Remove the dust.

Write a letter.

Make soup.

 

You see?

You are advancing step by step.

 Take a step and stop.

Rest a little.

Praise yourself.

Take another step.

Then another.

You won't notice, but your steps will grow more and more.

 

And the time will come when you can think about the future

without crying. 

Praying she's right.

Still waiting.

 

Oy Vey

 Anyone else breathing into paper bags these days, 

trying not to pass out with all the chaos

and destruction?

Good grief!

 

Yes, I totally agree with

 'looking for the joy in every day',

and I do.

 

But that doesn't mean I'm blind to the rest of the crap that's going on.

No dic tator!

 

 

Update

Is it just me - or have the last few months gone by in a blur for anyone else/

It was wonderful to have both guys in town

and the days went by too quickly.

Although it rained on Christmas Day,

we subsequently got almost 10" of snow -

enough for sledding on Art Hill

and making the requisite snowman.

Have to be honest, 

I'm still trying to find my footing following the election results,

the recent inauguration

and dealing with the resultant chaos.

I might be heavy on images for awhile

since words about the state in which we find ourselves escapes me.

Circling the drain.

I had a WONDERFUL time playing with AI

and creating an image which captures the goal for my ongoing effort to grow my hair out.

This is the goal -

one long grey braid over my shoulder,

looking like all the other vintage hippy crones in Taos.

My hair is shoulder length at this point

and it will be awhile before the braiding starts -

but we all need a vision to shoot for, right?