Weekly Roundup 44: Sigh...

Nope, not a sigh of relief.

I tend not to get political on this blog because there are other places for that. But let it be known that as I proudly voted for Kamala, I also voted against misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, religious extremism, an American oligarchy, and the general lack of truth and decency that pervade politics and society.

You all know how that turned out.   

It was clear to me before November 6 that regardless of the issues, this election was really about anger. Men and women are angry, sometimes for different reasons, but history has shown that a man's anger trumps (I use that word intentionally) a woman's anger every time. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems that a woman's anger is taken seriously only when it is expressed in support of an angry man. (Women can be righteous, but we can't be right? Is that how it is?)

We have an uncertain road ahead. Please remember that we are strong and resilient. Please take care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. Please reach out to your community when you need a shoulder. And please, please be very selective about how much media you consume. We've all reached saturation point after this year (and the years before), and it's absolutely fine to step away from the churn.

Take good care, and I'll see you next week.

Weekly Roundup 43: Election Day

I'm writing this on the afternoon of November 5, Election Day. It's too early for any real results, so I'm trying to keep my mind occupied and my spirits up. This has been an election like no other in my lifetime, and almost everyone I know has felt the impact on their mental, emotional--and sometimes physical--health.

Frankly, there's a lot to be upset about, not the least of which is the rampant misogyny. But as Denzel Washington said, "It is impossible to be grateful and hateful at the same time." So today, I choose grateful.

Thank you to election officials and poll workers who uphold this country's standard of free and fair elections.

Thank you to everyone who took the high road and refrained from sharing disparaging, insulting, and demeaning content.

Thank you to everyone who believes that all registered voters deserve to cast their ballots in safety and without unreasonable inconvenience.

Thank you to everyone who helped their friends, family, and community members exercise their right to vote.

Thank you to everyone who fact-checked and sought out reputable, trustworthy sources of information.

Thank you to everyone who was willing to think instead of simply react.

Thank you to everyone who made me laugh, including SNL and The Daily Show.

Thank you to pets, houseplants, and autumn leaves, thank you to tea, chocolate, and long walks, thank you to my husband, friends, and family for helping me keep my sanity.

And thank you to everyone across the country who submitted artwork for new voting stickers, including the one above, designed by Julia, a 12th grader from Loveland, Colorado. (See other great examples, including the Michigan Werewolf, here.)

I don't know what the next days, weeks, and months will bring, but here's hoping we can all Keep Calm-ala and Carry On-ala.

Weekly Roundup 41: Spirals

The spiral is one of the most beautiful and most common shapes in nature, ranging in size and scope from galaxies such as our Milky Way down to the famous double-helix of DNA. You might see a spiral in a sunflower, a pinecone, a snail shell, the curl of a pea sprout or a chameleon's tail.

Yet when people talk about spiraling, it's almost always negative. Spiraling into depression, chaos, anxiety. Feeling less able to cope with life's stressors. Feeling out-of-control, dragged down as if by the vortex of a whirlpool (another of nature's spirals). 

I predict that the days between now and the upcoming presidential election will cause many of us to feel the pull of the downward spiral. These are such deeply unsettling times. So let me take this opportunity to remind us all that life is about opposites, which means there is also an upward spiral.

The psychological power of the upward spiral, where positive emotions lead to positive change, is well established. Researchers are finding that it often doesn't take a huge effort to turn a negative mindset into a more helpful one. If you need a boost, please read this post from my favorite joy blogger about the power of the upward spiral. 

Take some time over the next few weeks to seek out the people, activities, and experiences that feel uplifting to you. Humor almost always helps. So do chocolate, cinnamon tea, and scents such as citrus, pine, and rose. Self-care is paramount these days, my friends, so please take time to prioritize your physical and emotional health.

See you next week!

Buh-bye February

 

Is it just me, or has this been the looongest short month? We've had cold, windy, snowy weather all over the country, the pandemic continues, and spring seems far away indeed.

But it hasn't been all bad! Here, in no certain order, are some of the good things about February 2021:

• My family is still happy, healthy, and hanging in there;
• Politics has simmered way down;
• The coronavirus numbers are dropping, and although it's still slow going, more at-risk people are getting vaccinated; 
• This month had some fun things to celebrate, including Black History, Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year, and Mardi Gras;
• I had time to read: The Truants, by Kate Weinberg; The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig; and I'm working on The Best of Me, by David Sedaris;
• I was able to meet with both my book club and critique group via Zoom;
• The days are getting longer;
• Chocolate (which goes without saying); 
• And last but certainly not least, my talented graphic designer friend is putting the finishing touches on the cover for the sequel to my novel, Passing Through. Look for more about this in March.

Maybe it will come in like a lion, but I'm still ready for a new month. 

What made February good for you?

Unfair and Imbalanced

Happy Wednesday, and welcome to another week of Take It or Leave It!

It's tempting to blame the current news culture on the explosion of cable TV and social media platforms, but the roots in America go back to at least the 19th century and the cutthroat days of newspaper publishing. In the late 1890s, Joseph Pulitzer, owner of the New York World, and William Randolph Hearst, owner of the Journal, built a legendary rivalry. Hearst had made a huge success out of the San Francisco Examiner before moving to New York to do the same with the Journal. The competition between these two men, each seeking to out-do the other, helped plant the seeds for the sensationalism we see in the media today.

I'm not sure Pulitzer and Hearst could even have conceived of today's media environment. Never before has it been so easy to obtain and consume news that totally agrees with our own political and ideological leanings. I've heard it said that we curate our media intake, and I couldn't agree more. Call them bubbles or silos or echo chambers, but the result is the same: we ingest only what we want to ingest.

But this week, I poked my head out of my silo and set my bleary, world-weary eyes on Fox News.

Yes, that Fox News.

It was a long week.

And here's the thing: I have confirmed that I don't enjoy the on-air personalities and ideologies of Fox News. I disagreed with quite a lot that was said and was always relieved when I came across a news story that bordered on neutral. Vaping illnesses, say, or the flu. I think we can all agree that those things aren't wonderful.

But my big epiphany was the realization that somewhere, my doppelganger was gnashing her teeth at the sight of Anderson Cooper, disagreeing as vehemently with the news from the left as I do with the news from the right. Our media culture actively promotes the us vs. them mentality, and that is just not healthy for any of us. I know the stakes are high, and hopefully we're all trying to do what we think is right, not merely what feels habitual. But as long as ratings still matter, I don't know if that's possible.

My brief dalliance with Fox News is a definite Leave It. And it rather put me off of cable news in general, especially in these frenetic times leading up to an election year.