Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Taking a Break


I was disappointed in the outcome of the Betsy DeVos confirmation, and especially in the vote of one of "my" senators, Cory Gardiner, who I contacted several times about this matter.  

Why didn't he listen to me?  Oh, maybe because I didn't give him $45,000 like Betsy did.

It's been a tough couple of weeks.    

This morning I read a post by Arianna Huffington titled How to Get Out of the Cycle of Outrage in a Trump World.  She points out that, "If we live in a perpetual state of outrage, Trump wins," and gives this advice: 

When you fight a disease --and the Trump presidency is a disease, an assault on the health of our entire system--the most important thing is to give yourself the resources to allow your immune system to prevail over the disease.  And that includes taking care of ourselves to strengthen our resilience --making sure we sleep, exercise, enjoy nature, eat healthily, take breaks from technology, and don't start and end our day by going straight to the latest news before we've found that eye in the hurricane." 

So I turned off the computer and went for a long hike with Ben, up the back of Mount Sanitas.   It's very breezy today with gusts up to twenty-one miles per hour and as we neared the top I felt quite battered by the strong and noisy blasts of wind.  But the views west towards the snow-covered mountains were incredible, the hiking felt great, and it's always wonderful to spend time with Ben.   

Now instead of monitoring the news for the appeals court decision about the travel ban, I'm going to watch the most recent episode of This is Us while I hand sew a label onto the NICU quilt I finished a couple of weeks ago. Then I'm going to cut the binding for another quilt, read the next chapter in Trophy Hunt, a mystery by C. J. Box which has me captivated, go to a little wine tasting at a local wine store and eat something delicious for dinner.   

Everyone needs a break. 


3 comments:

  1. OMG. I love this post. I feel as you do about the cabinet appointees or Trump and checking my phone for news updates waking and bedtime. It's so frustrating. I do watch "This is Us", one of the best dramas on TV this year. I listen to free audio books from the library while quilting. I did stop following many sites on my Facebook that constantly mention Trump or his cohorts. If Trump or anyone from the White House shows up on the tv, I change the channel. Maybe some of these things will help you. I feel your pain, but I am walking everyday and trying to be healthier to deal with this stress. Best wishes to you. You are not alone. Mary in AZ

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  2. yes. Luckily there are many many many of us. Someone can cover while you recharge.
    And all Americans need to think about what we value as Americans.

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  3. Great post!!! Thank you!!! I need a huge break from all of this...... Perhaps another marathon of Andy Griffith on Netflix or Top Gear is in store for today!

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