I Am Strong, But I Am Tired

I saw a meme with these words the other day. 

And this simple sentence struck a chord. I have been feeling tired mentally if not physically for quite some time. Then I realized that I really am strong, but I also am tired.

Life these days is tiring as well as tiresome. Until a new president took office, I was so tired of waking up every morning, fearful of what the orange tinted occupant of the White House had done to put our country at risk overnight. 

Now I’m tired of oh so many things. This administration is trying its best to undo some of the damage inflicted on the United States during the previous 4 years. The effort to get a majority of Americans vaccinated has slowed, but the appearance of the Delta variant of the virus seems to at last have opened the eyes of people to the threat this virus poses. I also hope that the recent granting of full approval by the FDA to the Pfizer Covid vaccine will encourage more hold-outs to be vaccinated. Vaccination rates are up, especially in southern states with the lowest percentage of the population vaccinated.

But I am tired of listening to the whines and the threats and the general distrust of science, and the excuses and the refusal of so many to do the one thing that can make a huge difference in the fight against this coronavirus. Parents are protesting mask mandates in schools. At least one Republican governor is threatening to withhold funding from school districts that mandate the wearing of masks. Who could possibly oppose anything designed to  protect children, especially those too young to be vaccinated, from a potentially deadly virus?

We could get this pandemic under control if only the anti-vaxxers and the anti-maskers would stop their mindless rhetoric about their 'freedumbs' being violated. Apparently these clowns feel it's OK to spread a potentially deadly virus to those with chronic illnesses and other medical conditions that preclude them from being vaccinated for legitimate reasons. The hypocrisy of these people going on about 'My body. My choice' is so blatant. They don't/won't/can't see the hypocrisy of demanding rights for themselves that they refuse to give to women regarding birth control and abortion.

I am tired of watching what should have been a medical and public health issue (wearing a mask, getting vaccinated) be turned into a political issue. This virus doesn't respect party lines. It is an equal opportunity threat to life. 

I am tired of watching helplessly as the women and girls of Afghanistan once again fall under the repressive Taliban regime, which says it will give females 'some' rights. Will women and girls be precluded from attending school, working outside the home and even leaving home without an approved male relative accompanying them?

I am tired of the divisiveness and finger-pointing that are so rampant in this country. I am tired of the Republikkkans' efforts to weaken Americans' right to vote. And I wonder whether America will be able to survive as a constitutional republic, or whether we will become a fascist nation led by a small group of oligarchs.

We certainly seem to be heading in that direction at breakneck speed. And the Democrats in Congress seem incapable of doing anything to stop this runaway train.

It's the Little Things

 It may be a cliche, but it's the little things in life that can bring the most enjoyment.

This morning, for the first time in several months, I treated myself to a cup of my favorite tea, Good Earth Sweet and Spicy. I have loved this tea for many, many years. It was a long-standing tradition to have a cup every morning.

Then I developed kidney stones that required four surgeries to break them up with a laser, and I learned that black tea contains a high level of oxalates, the substance that is a major contributor to the formation of most kidney stones.

I gave away several boxes of Good Earth tea and other varieties of black tea last year. I started trying a variety of herbal teas, which don't contain oxalates. Some are not bad, but I missed my special tea. I still have two boxes of Good Earth tea, and this morning I treated myself to a cup. I don't let the tea get too strong (to minimize the amount of oxalate I consume), and I added a packet of Litholyte crystals, which bind with the oxalate and decrease its ability to form new kidney stones. I also enjoy the morning kick of caffeine, which herbal teas lack.

What a treat it was to enjoy a cup of this wonderful tea this morning! I have never liked coffee, so tea has always been my morning hot drink. After not enjoying this tea for several months, this was a special treat. 

Another little thing greatly enjoyed this morning was a cool start to the day. Afternoons still reach into the 90s here, but overnight temperatures are very pleasant. This is not to say that i am looking forward to cold weather, but a cool morning is welcome indeed.

Last evening we were treated to a heavy rain storm, which brought much-needed rain to this drought stricken area. Unfortunately, the heavy rain brought the realization that the roof over my patio has a leak, so rainwater got into the house around one of the living room windows. Time to call the roofing company. Luckily we don't get heavy rains like that very often.

So those are the little surprises I have enjoyed recently. What little things are your favorites?

I Have Stopped Caring

 I have stopped caring. 

That's right. I have stopped caring about people too obtuse or too brainwashed or too selfish tor too stubborn to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. 

I refuse to feel sorry for them. I am out of sympathy for the willfully ignorant or those too devoted to their cult or their evangelical beliefs to take the simple, safe step of getting vaccinated against the covid virus.

The Delta variant is racing through this country’s unvaccinated population, which is close to 50 percent of Americans. Some 95 percent or more of those hospitalized or dying from Covid-19 now are unvaccinated. ICU beds are nearly nonexistent in some areas. Medical personnel who are forced to care for these people are at the breaking point once again. Now there’s talk about shipping infected people to states, including my state of New Mexico, which have available ICU beds.

Under normal circumstances, I would welcome the opportunity for my state to help those in need, regardless of where they live. But I am out of sympathy for those who, despite scientific evidence proving that the vaccines are safe and effective, refuse to be vaccinated and who refuse to wear masks. 

And not only do these people refuse to do whatever they can to protect themselves and those with whom they come in contact, but too many are actively protesting against reinstatement of mask mandates and vaccination orders. The US military must be vaccinated against the coronavirus, as must all employees of United Airlines and other businesses. Nurses at a Houston hospital -- who should know better the dangers of this virus -- were fired for refusing to be vaccinated. 

Evangelicals claim they don't need to be vaccinated because God will protect them. God has already sent vaccines to protect them. What more do they want?

'My body My choice' proclaim the protesters' signs. Funny how they don't feel that way when it comes to women's reproductive choices, which these same protesters want regulated by the government. 

It astounds me that parents are willing to risk the lives of their children -- many of which are too young to be vaccinated -- by opposing school mask mandates. Aren't parents supposed to do whatever is necessary to protect their children?

I told my daughter just a few days ago that she needs to get vaccinated and insist that anybody who comes into contact with her newborn son be fully vaccinated.

At this point into year two of the pandemic, I don't wish people ill. I don't hope they contract the virus and get sick or die. But I also don't care. If they make a stupid decision and pay the price, so be it. But I do worry about those who are unable to be vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons. I do worry about the very young and the old who are at greater risk. I do worry about medical personnel who risk their lives to care for people who don't care about themselves or about others.

I have a lot of sympathy for the innocent victims, be they children or animals or the elderly who are unable to protect themselves. 

But I am fresh out of sympathy for those who refuse to follow simple steps to protect themselves and those around them.

As the saying goes, "Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes."

Being Content in a Crazy, Upside Down World

I read a comment recently in a post about finding and identifying people and organizations that are working hard to make this insane world we live in a better place.

Someone noted that she knows a person who lives a very contented life. She loves her garden. She loves her books, and she loves having a quiet, cozy place in which to read. She is content with her life. 

That started me thinking.

How many of us in today’s topsy-turvy, divided, antagonistic, hate-filled world, can say we are genuinely content? I’d like to think I am, but in reality, I’m not, at least not all of the time.

Perhaps, rather than getting on the I-should-be-happy treadmill, or the I-would-be happy-if-only treadmill, we should work instead on being content, or finding what one blogger defines as 'peaceful satisfaction.' 

Although our modern world pushes us to earn more, own more, do more, what if we started to appreciate what we have rather than worrying about what we do not have. Enjoy your life as it is now. Don't stress about what you want it to be. Focus on your talents, not on the things you aren't good at. Try to develop and improve your skills and strengths. I continually work on being a better photographer and a better writer. This doesn't mean we shouldn't work on our weaknesses, but accept them and try to do better. .

Focus on the positives in your life, rather than on the negatives. Spending too much energy on the negatives -- and our world certainly is full of them -- can pull us into a downward spiral. Many people find it useful to keep a gratitude journal, or to jot down five things each day for which they are grateful. (Five is not a magic number; you can pick any number you choose. The important thing is stopping to think about the things/people/pets/opportunities for which you are grateful each day).

It seems we are in for a rough road again, as the coronavirus and its deadly mutations come roaring back. So this might be a good time to work on being content with what we have, rather than on the challenges ahead.

According to some whose writings I have read, we can cultivate a sense of contentedness. Some of the suggested ways to do this are to practice mindfulness (much has been written about this). Accept all your emotions without judging. Accept them, then let them go. And finally, recognize the mental contingencies in your life. "I would be really happy if I get that big promotion."

I am going to focus on being content with my life. It will be challenging, but I like challenges, so I will give it a try. How about you?

Has America Passed the Point of No Return?

 To answer the question in the title of this post, I believe the answer is Yes.

It saddens me to believe that, but reality strongly indicates that we as a nation are irreparably divided. Left and right ... Democrats and Republicans ... liberals and conservatives ... all have seemingly insurmountable chasms separating them. 

Conservatives, evangelicals and Republicans at large care only about holding on to their power and accumulating even more wealth. They don't care about the poor, the struggling, the immigrants, the elderly, the children, the environment -- in short, they care only about themselves and others like them. They care only about other white folks, especially male white folks. Yes, there is a handful of black and Hispanic Republicans, but they are rare indeed. The bottom line for these people is maintaining things are they were in the 1950s and earlier. Women knew their place and stayed home raising kids, keeping house and having a hot meal ready when their lord and master returned from work. Minorities were content to work in the shadows, seemingly grateful for whatever crumbs were tossed their way.

Trump didn't create this divide, but he certainly gave it a voice and exacerbated it. He made it acceptable, even fashionable, among tens of millions of Americans to freely act on their racism, misogyny, greed and unfounded fears.

Now we are reaping what he has sown. Responding to the pandemic was turned into a partisan issue. With more than 650,000 Americans dead of coronavirus so far, we now are facing an even more easily transmitted and infectious variant of the virus. And millions of Americans still refuse to get vaccinated, for any number of frivolous reasons.

Fortunately, calls for the unvaccinated -- not the vaccinated -- to stay home and away from others are growing. The problem, of course, is that it is impossible to determine who has been vaccinated and who is merely pretending to be. I have no problem with being forced to present my vaccination card, with counterfeit cards already being produced.

The country is deeply divided over many issues: Racism. Voting rights. Gay marriage. Guns. Climate change and the environment. Abortion rights. Women's rights. Access to affordable medical care. Mask mandates and vaccination requirements. What to teach and how to teach it. Social issues. Taxation. The economy. Police and the policed. The role of religion (read, Christianity) in America. Immigration. The definition of patriotism. Science.

Given these deep divides over nearly every aspect of 21st century American society, can this country survive? Can we survive as a nation when governors of Republican-dominated states are actively working to prohibit mask mandates? Can people, including political leaders, come together to find common ground and work together for the greater good? 

As things now stand, I fear the answer is 'no.'