A Gratitude Post #1

Today, I had a very good day.  I was able to go to work and accomplish a lot, which always makes me feel well.   I had 3 patients who told me I helped them with something, and 2 family members who expressed gratitude for my contacting them.  One disliked what I was telling her, but still acknowledged having a contact was better than not hearing anything at all.

Taki woke me up this morning.  She wanted breakfast, but when I was getting ready for work, she sat on my clothes. A sure sign she did not want me to go to work.  I thought she might be upset by the possibility of storms.  We had some showers this morning, but the storms came tonight.

For those of you who do not know, Taki is slightly developmentally delayed, so some things upset her more than others.  She was potty trained quickly as a baby.  However, some days, she has problems with making her mark, if you will.  Tonight was one of those times.  We had an electric squall blow through, at about the time Taki needed to use her litter dish. The storm was pretty much over head. She missed the litter box.  That upsets her, and she scratches, and scratches and scratches.  I think that is left over from when Sake schooled her about litter box etiquette, and did not hesitate to tell her when she violated that etiquette.  However, when I assure her she is okay, she is able to settle down.

The thing is, we do not always know, and often do not at all know what things will impact those in our world.  As Taki's life companion, I can predict some things, and sometimes, read the signs when I am missing the predictions.  And  Taki is persistent but patient.  

But we are all different, and something that impacts one of us, may not even have an effect on another of us. We cannot know.  But this is one of the skills of a social worker, to be receptive and open to the messages our clients give us that inform us of what is impacting their life and adding to their distress. Social workers start where their clients are: this may be physically, or even environmentally, but more often socially, emotionally, and psychologically. 

Oh, my gosh.  So I am thankful for my patients and their families, and for Taki, and her insecurities, but also her willingness to accept assurances from me.  These folks allowed me to address them where they were and gave me the indicators I need to address their needs in the future. 

Wow, I would consider that a highly positive day!

I Stopped Blogging

For a long time, I tried to blog daily, and it became too cumbersome, so I just abandoned that effort.  I have been thinking lately I want to blog, but not with any pressure or stress to do so daily or for any particular reason.  I have a lot to say, but by the time I am done with my daytime world, sometimes, I cannot think about what I want to share and my mind is too cluttered to make much sense of my world.  Today is no different, although I called in sick, and mostly read and slept today, while nursing my back spasms.  I still checked my email, and doing my routine of thought games to keep my mind focused if not sharp. 

Our world is a mess, with global warming, and the extreme weather events we are experiencing.  COVID 19 is devastating populations, and even though we have a vaccine,  so many people do not trust it, or it is not available to them. The resulting variants make the coronavirus that much more virulent, although that is not a word you will hear in the world news. And politicians have not and are not advocating the use of masks, which are helpful in delaying the spread of COVID 19.  Although science demonstrates that mask wearing is a major safety for our population why would our leadres be opposed to that measure?  

Politics is generally no longer an exercise in compromise and consensus, but a tug of war between political factions who are more concerned with promoting their personal political agenda, then trying to promote governance that will benefit all constituents represented, regardless of political party.  This is not democracy  This is governance by threat.  Pure and simple.  "Disagree with me, and I will make sure your views are not considered"  is the general tenor of our legislators.  Where has democracy gone?  

There is too much headache in this world.  We have been here before, many times.  Let us  hope, this time, we do not obliterate ourselves off of the face of the earth.  

  

Transfer of Power

 One of the hallmarks of the United States of America is the peaceful transfer of power when a new President has been elected.  That was disrupted this year when, on January 6, 2021, President Trump incited a mob to attack the Capitol building in an effort to stop the certification of Joseph Biden as the 46th President of the United States.  The Road to a Riot.  

Although law enforcement was found lacking, the Representatives and Senators involved in the certification process were kept safe, and determined to complete their task the same day, no matter how late they had to work.  They did.

On January 20, 2021,  Joseph Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States, and Kamala Harris was inaugurated as the vice-president.  There was highly increased security, coupled with safety and security measures taken due to COVID - 19 precautions, which made this inauguration very different from most in the past.  Additionally, outgoing President Trump was not present, although he did leave a "gracious" note for President Biden in the Oval Office.    

I was very relieved to see, ultimately, a peaceful transfer of power, although it took such security measures to ensure it.

At work today coworkers who knew my political leanings greeted me with "It's a good day"  "It's a really good day." was the response.  And I greeted other coworkers the same.  One, who did not know my political leanings, nor I his, talked about how surprised we were that well educated, Christian people bought into the divisiveness and hate of the Trump Presidency.  We also shared that we have felt a great weight lifted from our shoulders.  This coworker talked about how Christianity cycles (he had a technical name for it, which I cannot recall.)  But he used the examples of the Crusades, and the NAZIs as examples of how Christianity cycles to be negative, derogatory, and used to promote supremacy of a faction of our population.   An interesting hypothesis.  And, he commented that this gives us a better understanding of how Hitler was able to convince the German people that his policies were acceptable. A comment that was so accurate.

I am so thankful that our country did not succumb to the persuasion of power by our former President.  It is really easy to do so.  I was saddened to see how members of the Republican Party kowtowed to the president whether out of fear, or loyalty during his presidency. I hope other members of Congress learn from this lesson.

More importantly, I am so thankful that people in opposition to the President Trump did not succumb to his terrorism, threats, hyperbole, and lies.  The people against President Trump worked hard, they campaigned honestly and diligently, and they carried the day in the election on the side of unity, mercy, justice, and values such as equality, integrity, and honesty, to name a few. 

Thoughts about change and COVID-19.

 

Something I have decided, and have not really shared with anyone, but have started living my life in this way, and that is, to think that calling this our new normal is the pragmatic thing to do.  We do not know if, when and how this will end.  We do not know what  things will look like on the other end.  We do know we will never go back 100% to the way things were before.  We initially kidded ourselves, with the help from some national leadership, to believe this would be resolved by this summer.  And it has not.  So when I cannot change things around me, sometimes I have to decide whether to change my outlook and expectations.  This may not work for everybody, especially someone who is idealistic. But sometimes an idealistic person understands how important it is to adjust and adapt.

 

I liken this to being in a war.  Too long ago for my lifetime, but we hear about the sacrifices and contributions the American people were asked to make during World War II:  rationing, recycling, women working in jobs that were formerly felt unfit women, including manufacturing, farming, and other businesses.  And, it opened up some integration prospects previously unthought of.   Well, although people tried to put the genie back in the bottle, women and minorities slowly expanded their roles after the war, often, with a very tough fight.

 

We are now engaged in a multi-front war:  The war against COVID-19.  The war against natural disasters, that are more difficult to deal with because of COVID -19 (wild fires, heat waves, hurricanes, etc.)  The war against social injustice and racism.  This always gets worse when the people on the bottom of the social ladder see possibilities of improvement, and then those possibilities are snatched away. (A black, inclusive president is replaced by an anglo, divisive president.)  When I was in college we learned about it as the Revolution of Rising Expectations.  This article https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/applied-and-social-sciences-magazines/revolution-rising-expectations indicates it may not be that simple, but it plays a part.  

 

The idea is, we have to change with the change. And the way we change influences the way the change impacts our world.  The actual quote from Mahatma Gandhi is:  “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body.  If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.  As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him.  This is the divine mystery supreme.  A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”  This has been shortened to “be the change you want to be”

 

The societal changes give each of us the opportunity to decide how we will go forward from here.  It is a major burden. Do I have an answer?  No.

 

So, forgive my ramble.  Thank you for letting me ramble. Sometimes, I just need to get it off my chest.  And I ask for answers. 

God's in His Heaven, and All's Right With the World. Well, sort of!

Tonight, Major League Baseball opened season! Yes, near the end of July, with no fans in the stands, canned crowd noise, and some restrictions like no sunflower seeds.  The league will do regular testing, and the travel schedules will be truncated, and announced tonight, they will have an extended play off season that will not extend the season, but add more playoff games. Other changes include "a universal designated hitter" i.e. both the National League and the American League will be using the designated hitter. 

The New York Yankees played the Washington Nationals in Washington, D.C, aired on ESPN.  Before the game, the players took a knee, and connected with each other by holding a black ribbon or rope, for a moment of silence, then stood for the national anthem.  Behind the mound, the MLB logo was displayed in the dirt above the letters BLM (Black Lives Matter.)  

Dr. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, threw out the "ceremonial" first pitch.  

The Yankees and Nationals played beyond the 5th inning, when the Heavens opened up, and the skies lit up.  A very heavy thunderstorm delayed the game, and eventually, caused it to be called, with the Yankees winning.

This was a doubleheader night on  ESPN, the next game was the San Francisco Giants playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The opening ceremonies were similar to those at the Yankee - National game.  Only, some players chose to continue to kneel, with the blessings of their team leadership.  

I learned some things tonight:   

Mookie Betts, who had performed so well for the Boston Red Sox, signed a 13 year, $392 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Mike Yastrezmski plays for the San Francisco Giants.  Yes, Mike Yastrezmski is related to Carl Yastrezmski.  He is Carl's grandson.  He wears number 5, and supposedly, when asked why not wearing number 8, he said there was enough pressure on him, he did not need to add to it by wearing number 8.  Wise young man. 

Also, the Boston Red Sox unveiled a 250 foot billboard along the Massachusetts Turnpike, near Fenway Park, that says Black Lives Matter. 



Baseball really is America's game, and Major League Baseball has stepped up to promote racial equality.  

I like baseball.  I am sorry that baseball was segregated until the late 1940s. I like that baseball sponsored a women's league during World War II.  I like that many of our presidents throw out the first pitch on opening day.  And baseball is important enough in our society, that many baseball terms have been appropriated for non-baseball situations.  

One thing I am not sure of is the runner-on-second rule for overtime games.  I understand, especially this year, it is a way to prevent very, very long overtime games, but how is this justified?  Why does the person who made the last out of the previous inning get to be on base?  It makes no sense, other than "time management."  Sorry, our world is full of time management ideas that make no sense, promote stress, and do not allow for quality or pure performance.  

Oh well, there is always good and bad in changes.  We will have to see what survives and what does not. 

Response to COVID-19

I am very concerned about how people are responding to safety precautions relating to the COVID-19 virus. I understand that no one, including me, wants their personal rites curtailed or imposed upon. I also understand the importance of safe social practices. I am not sure why wearing a mask to protect you and me is a violation of my personal rights. I am not sure why keeping a 6 foot distance in public is a violation of my personal rights. I understand that people want to be able to negotiate themselves in public as they want and may not want their public personal interactions limited. But, why would I want to put someone else in danger. As citizens of the United States, we resist restrictions on our lives. But do we feel safer flying in airplanes with the inconveniences of TSA inspections? Do people feel safer having been educated about safe sex practices and other ways to avoid infection by HIV? I want our economy to survive. I want public education to be available to everyone who needs it. But more importantly, I want you and I to wake up tomorrow morning, alive, alert, and able to function without medical support. You tell me, what is more important.

Tea Cozies

Are you a tea drinker? I am, and in the last 15 or 20 years, I have become more of a tea deinker than a coffee drinker.  I sometimes make a cup of tea, but more often, I make a pot of tea.  Sometimes, I use loose tea leaves in an infuser, but more often than not, I use tea bags to make tea.

Sometimes, I go out to restaurants to have a quiet and comfortable meal, with the intension of having a pot of tea  with  the quiet and relaxing meal.

I  have several tea pots, but many are decorative.  I do have a couple of teapots that are functional.  Several years ago, I purchased a tea cozie which I use for pots of tea, either brewed with tea leaves and an infusor, or with tea bags.

Saturday, 4/4/2020 I made tea in the afternoon in my tea pot.  I had it brewing in the pot and under the tea cozie for about 3 hour, before I remembered to drink some of the tea. It was still warm.  The tea cozie did its job.