Tag Archives: mental-health

LIFE PLANS

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Or: The Fortress of Solitude
“The secret of a good old age is simply an honorable pact with solitude.” —Gabriel García Márquez
“The voices may propel you to warble along, or to dance, they may inspire you to seduction or insurrection or introspection or merely to watching a little less television…”—Jonathan Lethem,The Fortress of Solitude

I was thinking about what a person does with the rest of their days when they retire and/or a loved one passes. Growing up in the 60s and 70s brings back “youthful, isolated memories” [Jonathan Lethem] in my search for people I can connect with today. In my younger days, I had a plethora of cousins and school pals to “hang out” with. As I moved on to college, I made friends in class, at work, and at bars we frequented. When I went off to work in the “real world,” I found family in law enforcement. We were a band of brothers and sisters fighting the good fight. We were a tight-knit group who took care of each other. When I took my adventure out west, I met some amazing people along the way. We bonded and kept in touch for a while. I had work colleagues, law enforcement family, hikers, and martial arts buddies, yet another family. And then the kiddo came along, and I had 18 years of non-stop on the go, doing everything surrounding raising that boy of mine. Friends were a different crowd, and it all centered on doing my best to make his world safe, fun, and productive.

And then kiddo grew up, moved off to college, and he needed less help from us. So, I decided to “retire” and create my world at home, with a million tasks, hobbies, writing, and all the things I wanted to do on my own. I had to seek out new contacts or be content with my headspace alone. Some days I am fine. Other days, I isolate myself, and my mind is filled with “what ifs.”

Isolation makes us motionless to reach out to others. There is a difference between isolation and Solitude. We can choose both, but we need to decide what is best for us and how to balance that alone time. Sometimes we need a quiet space for our minds to reflect and create, so we choose to isolate ourselves and create moments of solitude.
“​​Our language has wisely sensed these two sides of man’s [a person’s] being alone. It has created the word ‘loneliness’ to express the pain of being alone.  And it has created the word “solitude” to express the glory of being alone.” Paul Tillich

But sometimes we need to reach out and join with others to get moving in our bodies so our minds can rest and recover from thoughts we dwell upon. And, if the physical body cooperates, I have an action plan. There are certain limits to my activities outside the home. Driving with limited vision has put a damper in late night adventures. So, I seek out daytime workouts, friendships, and get-togethers. And volunteer groups can be tricky. All of us have been in charge of something or someone our entire lives. We have to be willing to let go of that and participate as a NOOB when we start something new. We bring our skill set and volunteer it to others. We have to be content with the fact that not everyone is like us and try to blend into the atmosphere. We have to learn (yes, me too!) to be happy with chaos if you are prepared to join a group and aren’t the leader. And we have to understand that not everyone organizes like us as individuals (yes, me too!). That seems to be the most difficult task to belong to something bigger than you.

 Organize your life and let it go (this is very, very hard) if you can. Be happy in the moment and participate in life’s mysteries. You grew up with wonder, so try to maintain that as you age. For further information on embracing solitude and aloneness, see:
https://www.success.com/quotes-about-solitude-and-being-alone\
and:
https://www.success.com/magazine

Also,  I encourage you to read Jonathan Lethem’s book The Fortress of Solitude. I highly recommend the read. His connection to the world is very interesting, and I can understand his process!

What Makes People Go Bad?

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“Human nature….We seem cursed with the need to acquire control over each other and our environment. To rule. To change everything we can possibly meddle with.” [Charles de Lint. The Little Country (p. 273). Triskell Press. Kindle Edition.]

Today, I am pondering human nature and why we have gotten to the place we are today as a collective of beings who should be taking care of each other, no matter what. Human nature wants to have control over someone else when their lives aren’t what they hoped they would be. Friedrich Nietzsche once said that “Underneath the reality in which we live and have our being, another and altogether different reality lies concealed.” And it is that reality we must attempt to achieve, not the personality we have sought after, the hero of our own drama. The hero will die an un-heroic death if we don’t embrace the good and the bad of our perception of ourselves and others.

The current state of affairs, unfortunately, is all about people in control who have the most wealth. And they believe that fairness is only for those who can afford it. Don’t buy into the adage that the privileged get away with crimes and misdemeanors at the expense of others. In a Woody Allen movie, Professor Levy is heard saying, “The universe is a dark and indifferent place which human beings fill with love, in the hope that  future generations will understand more.” [From: Crimes and Misdemeanors, Woody Allen, 1989]

So before you decide to go “out the window,” or check out of this reality, reflect on what you can do to stop the hate, the bad people in charge, and commit to a kind deed every day that you live. Embrace your rebellious teenage years and speak up, demanding justice for those being attacked. Demand that your government representatives take action against those who think they are above the law of the land.   

I recommend you buy and read this very short but highly impactful book. It is amazing! The Greatest Sentence Ever Written, by Walter Isaacson. A must-read for people who are fighting against the orange one and his mania. And here is that sentence in case you forgot:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

And to my fans: I have fine-tuned the cover on Frankie & Jamie. Take a look and buy an escape, for a little while, into the story in the depths of the Grand Canyon in this second book of the Silver Rangers Mini-Series, available on Amazon.

I send love and hope out to all of you every day that I am alive and kicking! Brave the wind and do something fun!

RISE OF SELFISHNESS

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And how to overcome it as well as unbridled meanness….
Or: “There will always be someone out there who needs what you have to give.” I just read this on Facebook this morning, and it got me thinking (Oh! No!). Sometimes people are just mean, and I just don’t get it. They lash out when they are uncomfortable with a subject or person who disagrees with them. I have noticed that men and women speak differently when discussing an uncomfortable subject or when they want you to just agree with them, even if they are wrong. They just want you to believe in them no matter how you feel. It is hard for some men to listen without interrupting a conversation with a woman. Sometimes I think they just want to make their point without an argument, but, hey, if we women don’t agree with them, aren’t we allowed to argue back? In this age of the biggest bigot/misogynist in office, apparently, women aren’t allowed to ask questions and demand answers. Apparently, they are just supposed to smile and look pretty and agree with all the lies coming out of his mouth. (Thank you, Kaitlin Collins, for standing up to you know who.)

 I grew up in the South, where women were supposed to just smile and look pretty. But it was interesting to note the dynamics when the men left the room. Yeah, we were supposed to do most of the cooking and cleanup, but when we women got together, all I could say was: “Lawdy, Mercy!” Look out for what we all had to say! We had this kind of conversation where we all talked over each other, but we heard it all. And even if we disagreed, we could come to terms with it and still love the conversation. No one got too mad, and we still cared about each other in the end.

So it’s not wrong to disagree with each other, we just have to understand that we come from different mindsets. We as women tend to be helpers. And yes, sometimes we are mean to each other and selfish, but we can come to terms with it and do what’s right for our families and friends. Most of us aren’t too petty with each other. And sometimes we rise above all of it and agree on something our men say. Amazing, isn’t it? I would like for all men and women to get along, rise above petty, selfish government, and do the right thing. Mr. Rogers said it so well: “Look for the helpers. There are always people who are helping.”

My point is, this rise of selfishness wasn’t invented by the ugly, ill-tempered man in office. It’s been around a long time, and many interesting books have been written about it. One suggestion I have is a book by James Lincoln Collier, published in 1991. It is enlightening to see that this idea hasn’t gone away, even though we wish it would.
https://www.amazon.com/Selfishness-America-James-Lincoln-Collier/dp/0195052773

Andrew Carnegie believed in giving away wealth during one’s lifetime. His 1889 essay, The Gospel of Wealth, includes one of his most famous quotes: “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” Carnegie’s message argues that the wealthy have a moral obligation to act as trustees of their wealth and distribute it for the public good during their lifetimes rather than hoard it or leave it behind. 
Context: Carnegie, who rose from poverty to become one of the wealthiest people in history, believed that accumulated wealth should be used to benefit society, not merely passed down or wasted.
The Philosophy: He argued that surplus wealth is a trust fund to be administered for the community, aiming to help those who will help themselves, such as through libraries and education.
Application: Carnegie lived by this creed, ultimately donating roughly 90% of his fortune ($350 million) to various philanthropic causes.
Legacy: This statement is considered a foundational document in modern philanthropy and a direct critique of selfishness. He believed that failing to use one’s wealth for the benefit of society was a profound moral failure.

Let’s hope the billionaire cult leaders take heed and do the right thing in the coming years. I love you all on this beautiful Super Bowl Sunday. Take heed, but it’s okay to have a little fun on the way!

National Curmudgeons Day

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A curmudgeon personality is characterized by a tendency to critically evaluate stimuli, with both negative- and positive-normed stimuli viewed negatively (negative dispositional attitudes). Curmudgeons see positive- and negative-emotion qualities, and evidently in the same attitude object, but they weigh qualities to avoid higher than qualities to approach. Excerpt from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886915301148

Today is National Curmudgeons Day! We have become what we’re celebrating, but it’s okay if we embrace it and try to dig out of the sadness!

Among other things celebrated today are:
Puzzle Day
Corn Chip Day
Seeing Eye Dog Day
Freethinkers Day

I am just grateful to still be here after this crazy month! I hope I’m not the doom-and-gloom curmudgeon some of my relatives and friends are, but I have a tendency to go down that road more often than I’d like to. I am, however, forced to be in the world of technology, so I don’t grouse (too much) about all of that (I definitely don’t go back to that crutch: Well, in the old days…. We are certainly back in the old days right now, so come on, folks! Even at my lowest point lately, I know things are changing, and we should not wish to return to the past. So, I implore you all to embrace the future in a positive way, one that doesn’t involve the madness we have right now. Phew!

But of course, this got me thinking about the last one: Freethinkers Day:

Fast Andy or POTUS and Past Lives episode (The Rookie, Season 8, Episode 2). In this episode, the president comes to Los Angeles, and of course, the local police have to work with the Secret Service and other Federal agencies to get the president safely through their town. There is a perceived assassination threat, and havoc ensues. Turns out, one of Nolan’s rookies, Selena, who understands things that are not quite of this world, especially past lives, is paired up with a secret service agent who believes he is the secret service man who failed to protect Lincoln, and he was reincarnated to be the agent who protects the current president. The interesting takeaway from this scenario is that, although Selena understands there are many layers to this world, not everyone is reincarnated as a famous person. We may be a product of our family’s history, but we weren’t all famous.

So this led me down the path of what a Free Thinker really entails, and what is real?
In my mind, the connection to this current drama brought back the 1990s SNL: Jack Handey’s Deep Thoughts and his obsurdacles (my word for it). It helped me understand that those Deep Thoughts are what some people come up with when faced with real facts.

It also made me return to all of the old fantasies about a world beyond what we see every day. You know, what some people call the woo-woo stuff, such as in the fantasy books of Charles de Lint, a Canadian fantasy author. I once connected and felt the energies beyond the so-called natural world. Re-reading his books made me think about what else is out there and how I can tap back into this energy and help others who are struggling. His novels about the old ways speak a profound message if you take the time to think. Whether we believe it is real doesn’t make it less real. We should all try to understand others’ thoughts about the origin of our reality and where we go when we leave this plane of existence. The new gods don’t allow us to explore meanings beyond the dogma and message of doom being poured out to the masses. We have a choice in what we do with our lives. We can take a chance and speak out and defy fear. We have a choice to be those Free Thinkers who sort through all the materials and come up with solutions that make sense. We can choose to reject ridiculous explanations for wrongdoing when we see it with our own eyes. We have a choice to do the right thing every day of our lives. And, if it comes to it where we are in harm’s way to protect others, that is the right choice. That is what we need to do.

So, as we age, I hope we all become wiser people and surpass our parents’ wisdom. I hope we reach out and connect with others to solve the devastating problems that are ongoing, and not put our heads back in the sand or under a blanket, hoping it will be better tomorrow. I hope each day we reach out to those in need and embrace the consequences of our actions, without fear of retribution from the crazies. Let’s all try not to become a curmudgeon this day. Let’s all work on positivity!

And, so what if you burst into the “Gopher Guts” song in mid-afternoon because it popped into your head and made you laugh? (I know you know it!) It’s a mechanism to keep your sanity in this world of denial and chaos. Go ahead, sing along! You’ll be happy you did! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR1ajf5Yh7w

I love you all and stay warm and cozy!

DON’T GIVE UP!

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Sycophant: A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. AKA: toady, crawler, fawner, flatterer, flunkey, truckler, groveler, doormat, lickspittle, kow-tower, obsequious person, minion, hanger-on, leech, puppet, spaniel, bootlicker, yes-man, brown-nose, suck-up

Last night, Governor Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania was featured on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show. His comments about our illustrious Vice-President and all of those who serve under that nasty man in office were simply to stop sucking up to you know who. Stop being afraid to uphold the law. No one is above the law, especially if they shoot and kill innocents. He implored members of Congress to stop the overreach and stop funding ICE operations in the States. We are all being victimized by this current administration and this unjust rule. So, I’m sending out a plea to all of you who are cowering in your foxholes:

Crawl out of your warm cocoon of blankets and pay attention. Don’t shut out the news. Keep informed. Help those who were shot and killed in our states by the secret, masked police. Write your congressmen and ask them to de-fund ICE. The untrained masked bandits are the enemy, not the people who are being persecuted in the streets. And write those in power in all of those Red States. Remind them that it could happen to them. Break away from the cult! And to all of you out there who still believe in the madness: Keep in mind that it could happen to ANY ONE OF US who doesn’t agree with the current regime. My state has been invaded by an illegal, so-called government agency in the past and in the present. It can happen again and again if we continue to believe in that crazy man. It is not just happening to the brown people. It’s happening to all of us! So many lies are being spread about the peaceful protesters. They are NOT domestic terrorists. They are simply people who want to have their say about what is happening in their states. They are not afraid. They don’t want to die. But they believe in living their lives without oppression.

I know it’s hard, but we have to stay informed AND involved. Every time I hear someone say, “I don’t watch the news,” or “I can’t read about it anymore!” alarms me. Isn’t that what happened to us many years ago? Isn’t that what we fought about: FREEDOM of speech and FREEDOM to live our lives in very loud ways?

So, sing out loud about it to your friends and neighbors. Write about it. Don’t be SAD about it. BE BRAVE! React, react, react, in ways that have meaning. And for goodness ‘ sake: DON’T GIVE UP! Enough said.

I love you all and send out many, many condolences to those who have been affected for simply being in the streets and trying to make a difference in peaceful ways!

Happy New Year—Hitting the Reset Button

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Okay, so it took me five days to write my New Year’s Blog, but HEY! I have a lot going on right now!

Between kiddo being home, Christmas and New Year’s meal preparations with a bum right thumb, doctor’s appointments, and the general hullabaloo of the holidays, I feel myself lucky that I am sane right now! But I digress. We had a wonderful time, and it was nice to celebrate without thinking about “what things may become” in the future. Now that I have put the grown (21!) baby back on the plane and he is back at college, I have a lot to do this month!

So I tackled the chores in my frenzied Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning phase (always after the new year, it seems.) I always feel as if I can get rid of stuff I haven’t used in a hundred years (or since we got married—how many of you remember all those crazy wedding gifts from twenty+ or thirty+ years ago?), then the old mantra, Clean House, Clear Mind, will ring true.

First, I tackled the paper shredding affair. Ugh! What a task. (Everyone who does this understands what I am saying.) I shredded two years’ worth of old tax documents dating back to 2017 and then had to pack it into two big bags for disposal. Then, I had to clean up the floor. Sheesh!

Then I went through the office closet and found way more stuff to give away, such as a zillion children’s puzzles. I am taking them to the rec center for summer camp, 2026!

Then came the kitchen. Since we have such a small kitchen, I went through the pantry and the shelves, cleaned them out, and put on new shelf paper.  I found yet more gadgets that I hadn’t used since the beginning of time (or when we bought them). I’m removing them from the pantry and storing the ice cream maker, popcorn popper, and snow cone machine for the kiddo to see if he’ll take them away when he gets his own place. If now, well, ARC here I come!!!!

We’ll finally tackle taking down the tree, putting away the Christmas decorations, and putting away the Lego Village this weekend. I’ll have my living space back! Yes!

So, with a wonderful old-fashioned Tea Cake Recipe from the past (Thanks, Jo!), I’ll relive my Grandma’s love, and make them this week (after the Frenzied Exercise startup, of course!).

So here’s to singing in the new year, and creating Mantras (NOT RESOLUTIONS!) to do better, be better, and help others. It’s all inside of you!

I completed the updates to both Silver Element and Silver Storm (new cover in progress), so the refresh/reprint is online as well as the third book, Silver Lore! Hope you purchase and read them, and have a blast with the stories!! https://www.amazon.com/stores/Drusilla-M.-Tieben/author/B00ET98OVA

I also want to share an email from a friend on New Year’s Day:
“Hi Friends! I woke up this morning dreaming about our meditation group. I was saying that meditation is not about adding something- but uncovering what is already there- your beautiful, soulful self. Keep uncovering your best, loving self in this New Year.”—Stephen Wurzel
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act 4, Scene 5).

So have a great start to the new year. Love each other every day and help those in need! I love you all and can’t wait to see you or meet you!

An Official Storyteller

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I pulled out my faded, brown-around-the-edges Robert Fulghum paperbacks today because I needed a boost about why I write and care about things so much. Robert Fulghum inspired me from the beginning of my ridiculous writing career and kept me going when life got me down. He is one of the funniest and poignant writers I have ever had the privilege of reading. His first book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, was published in 1986, and remained on the best-seller list for over 2 years! It is still in publication today, and I asked for the 25th Anniversary edition for Christmas, which has 25 new stories! The first chapter still blows me away, and I’ve quoted it so many times in so many places (including this blog) that I almost have it memorized. I encourage everyone to read and re-read this book.

Needless to say, he is one of my heroes, has had an amazing life, was born in Waco, Texas, was a college professor at Baylor, and a Unitarian Universalist minister, and is still going strong at 88! And, by the way, he lives in Moab, Utah (well, and on the island of Crete, Greece as well). What a life! I am striving to become a great storyteller like him. I don’t know if I’ll make it to those lofty heights before I die, but I can keep trying.

Robert Fulghum’s Storyteller’s Creed:
“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
That dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.”
For more interesting reading about writing, go to the Hub Pages website at:
https://discover.hubpages.com/literature/The-Storytelling-Profession

While writing Discover the Life you Want to Live, I interviewed many people and asked them to create and write out their Credo, or personal Creed. I was happily surprised by what people told me. And of course, mine was long and convoluted with lots of sub-sections. But the main thing that this exercise taught me is that most people are inherently good beneath the surface. They do the right thing most of the time. And if they screw up, they try to make it right. I wish we could all say that about everyone in power. All I know is that if we focus on our families and people we mentor, help guide them to make the right decisions, even if it is not how we would do it, then our little part of the world will become a better place. And if everyone starts this as a movement, the whole world will become wonderful.

“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.”—Robert Fulghum
For more of his fun quotes, go to:  https://www.azquotes.com/author/5227-Robert_Fulghum

So be as weird as you want and love one another during this holiday season. Have fun with your feast and sing some joyful songs! My heart goes out to all of you and your families!

Be Who You Are

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BUT HELP THOSE IN NEED
In continuing my theme from my last post, FEELING RETRO, I have been pondering about why we strive so hard to fit into someone else’s definition of who we should be. We are all unique in our own way and where we should be right now. But people want to work and do and achieve, and be recognized for their achievements. Sometimes that is a hard thing to do with all the competition out there for fewer and fewer jobs.

I am reading Kristin Hannah again. In the book I am currently reading, The Four Winds, she has researched the Dust Bowl thoroughly and the lands and people who were hit hard during the Great Depression. Her description of the protagonist and her family trekking all alone from the Oklahoma Panhandle all the way to California is a wake-up call on how things could get worse in this day and age. The successful post-WWI farmers lost everything, including all of the topsoil. They had farmed like everyone else who came out of the east coast, scraping the land of the prairie grass and planting wheat and corn, among other things without irrigation. And then the rains stopped. For TEN years. The dust storms not only buried everything that they owned, but people also became sick and died. During the Roosevelt years, they tried to help, but many of those didn’t want to be on the dole. They had been taught that it was wrong. And, they didn’t use irrigation like their current farming methods; and that is yet another subject that needs to be addressed.

When so many people left home and moved to California, they were turned away or shunned. They lived in horrible conditions, camps by the road, and were ridiculed. They had no money for gas or new clothes. The locals said they carried disease and treated them horrendously. Their life was incredibly difficult. (Grapes of Wrath is a must read if you don’t understand).

And even when these Americans worked their fingers to the bone for 10 hours a day, like the woman portrayed in the book, they were given a pittance salary, a handful of coins, which was not enough for gas, and not enough to move out of their situation. They all had hoped for planting or picking jobs, or any job that paid them a wage to move out of the camps. But sometimes they just starved to death.

So the reason I am telling you this, is in reality, this could happen again. The stock market could crash, and many of us on the margins could wind up in a similar situation, especially if there are no services provided by our government. The working class that are being ignored by the Silver Spoon Class will suffer like they have over the past 100 years. There has to be a balance between the upper 1% and those in the middle class and especially those at poverty level. They are not bad people. They just have bad situations. Why can’t we all see this?

We all want to be these entrepreneurs and hit it big! But cheap foreign goods cut us out of the market. Small businesses can’t grow because they can’t get the capital. The largest industry today is the financial or banking industry. Since 1980, the economy has shifted from making real products to making financial products. In other words, the working class suffers once again, blames the past democrats, because every president in office listened to Wall Street instead of providing stability and focused on balancing the government budget. Folks that lost their jobs reason they still shift to the people like you know who. In reality, he has created a situation that is absolutely worse than any democratic president in office. And who benefits? The upper 1%.

“According to the latest official poverty statistics, the poverty rate in 2023 was 11.1%, representing approximately 36.8 million Americans living below the federal poverty line.”
https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/statistics-on-poverty-in-united-states/

36.8 million Americans! Why?
Unfortunately, the government isn’t going to solve everything because they are cutting programs every day. They are creating new rules for the upper 1% to keep their wealth. Working class America will always suffer if we don’t help each other.

So today, I am asking everyone to think about how all of us who aren’t millionaires or billionaires are going to prepare for the inevitable changes to our economy. I am asking us to be prepared, but help out those in need, even when they say they don’t need your help. Don’t blame them for their misfortune or their poverty. Help them climb out of poverty. Give them a clean pair of clothes, and help them get off the streets. Most people are truly just trying to find work and a safe place to sleep. You can save lives if you just care. Give to support shelters, give to mental health centers and drug rehabilitation centers, give to education, and give goods to your local food banks. Help those who need help. Thank you.

Thoughts of Friends

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Last night, I found this in my stash of miscellaneous thoughts and bad poems so I wanted to share:

Friends
When things are tough,
You’re all alone and it’s so rough,
Just remember your friends,
Who are always known.

They’re always there,
For you to share,
No need to hide,
They’re always inside.

They lead their own lives,
You may not hear,
From ones so dear,
For many years.

Suddenly, they reappear,
When you thought they’d forgotten.
How nice to see
Them in eternity.

Here are some others that I found enlightening from a blog site called Unwritten
https://www.readunwritten.com/2023/03/09/quotes-live-by-life-rough/
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”—Theodore Roosevelt 
Focus on what you can do, and do it with pride.
“No matter what happens in life, be good to people.”—Taylor Swift
You never know if anyone is struggling. Everyone’s struggle looks different, and some hide it more than others. Don’t underestimate the power of kindness.
“Wherever you are, be all there.”—Jim Elliot 
As cliche as it sounds, it’s true: all we have is now. All we can really do is live in the present. You don’t have to love every moment you’re in, but try to be in every moment.
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”—A.A. Milne 
You are amazing. It can be easy to forget when you compare yourself to others, but we’re all different in unique ways. The world will never have someone like you, someone with your exact talents and strengths. Never forget this.
“Not all those who wander are lost.”—J.R.R. Tolkien
How many of us can truly say we know what path we’re going on? I know I can’t, and that’s okay! Uncertainty is one of the few guarantees we have in life. can. Life is a journey, a book that hasn’t been fully written, so we may as well make the most of it.
“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”—Robert Frost
It may seem impossible, but it’s true and worth repeating—life will go on. History shows us how much we’ve already been through. Whatever the future holds, we’ll make it.

So when the hazy days, bad atmosphere, and hot temperatures keep you inside and in your head, know that your friends are out there and will be there for you when you need them. It’s strange how they know when to call you (I have had visits from several this last week and connected once again). It’s amazing how life goes on and how you make it possible to continue to live and create wonderful life lessons.

Know that your first draft of your book is complete and out to the readers. Know that progress has been made and connections are happening for the book cover. Know that the zucchini and acorn squash will continue to give to you. Make something delicious and don’t worry about the rest. Have a terrific weekend and enjoy your friends and family. I love you all!

We Are Not There Yet

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I have been finishing up my final novel in the Caitlin Ferguson mystery series these last few weeks. (I know – it’s about time!) All of the research that I have completed over these past few months, really years, led me to thoughts of why we are where we are at this point in the wheel of time. I just have a few questions today to put out to the world that are in need of answering:

  • Why didn’t we accept women and immigrants sooner and why have we returned to that place of non-acceptance?
  • What will happen when the money runs out?
  • What will happen when the media can no longer spew nonsense into the atmosphere?
  • Will we learn from this disastrous election, and figure out how we as a species work together?
  • Will we learn from past literature how to accept each other to accomplish mutual goals?
  • And what’s wrong with seeing both sides of our nature?
  • Why can’t we love literature and science at the same time?
  • Why can’t we have beautiful conversations without always trying to one-up each other?
  • Where has all the wonderful learning gone?
  • Why can’t we teach young people to love each other and learn to be uncomfortable with conversations to learn more about the world we live in? Why are we so uncomfortable with making our children uncomfortable?

I am going to keep reminding everyone to read and learn and read and learn and pass it onto the next generation, the ability to think many thoughts at one time. I am going to keep reminding people to learn the ability to marvel at science but also respect and marvel the beautiful works that have come from both good and bad fiction. It’s okay to love people for their beautiful lines of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. I am amazed every day at the works of writers who make the effort to create magical works of art.

And here are a few things that are good to know about this day:
Notable Birthdays for August 1
William Clark (1770-1838) – Explorer who led the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804.
Francis Scott Key (1779-1873) – American lawyer, poet and composer who wrote the Star Spangled Banner.
Herman Melville (1819-1891) – Novelist who wrote Moby Dick.
John Friend Mahoney (1889-1957) – Physician who pioneered the treatment of syphilis with penicillin.
Ann Calvello (1929-2006) – Professional roller derby racer.
Terry Kiser (1939-Still Living) – Actor who made several appearance over his 50 year acting career, but none more memorable as the character Bernie in the movie Weekend at Bernie’s.
Robert James Waller (1939-2017) – Author of The Bridges of Madison County.
Jerry Garcia (1942-1995) – Musician and founder of the rock band Grateful Dead.

Memorable Events for August 1
1855 – Castle Garden (NY City) opens as first receiving station for immigrants in the U.S.
1876 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th state to join the Union.
1881 – Angel Island (San Francisco Bay, CA) becomes U.S. Quarantine Station to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
1911 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman in the U.S. to earn an Aero Club of America Aviator Certificate.
1933 – is founded with plans to stimulate the economy during the Depression. The National Recovery Administration.
1941 – The first Jeep is produced.
1946 – President Truman established the Atomic Energy Commission.
1981 – MTV begins broadcasting and airs its first video, Video Killed the Radio Star (The     Buggles).
https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/august/august-1-birthdays-and-events

So on this fantastic Friday, hug the ones who are near you and put out good vibes for anyone out there who is struggling with the day to day. Remember that the past cannot be changed but we can change our futures if we have the courage to do so. Love to all and hang in there!