The world has been breaking my heart lately. It's too big and too awful for me to even try to put into words right now. I haven't the heart for it.
It feels like a cop out, to turn your attention away from the debacle happening, but the fact is, there is not one thing we can do about it besides make our opinions known.
I do. Here. On social media. I contact our representatives, but they seemingly don't care. Protesting. The next big protest will be on June 14th, "No Kings!" Tim is throwing in as well, which surprises me. He's becoming very outspoken, and when the quiet people begin speaking up, you know for sure that shit's getting real.
I care a lot about the big picture, but let's face it: I don't matter to the big picture.
But there is always the small picture. Prepare, plan for our own future, and keep our eyes open. We're working steadily on the new house. Tim worked on windows today. We gave the 4 extra cupboards away. The living room looks quite spacious now that its empty. I did laundry today in my new red washer while we worked. I cleaned and scrubbed a second hand light fixture I bought for the kitchen.
It's only 53° out there today. It was so cold, and another wet day, so I did not work on my raised beds much. I'm itching to get that all put in. It seems sensible to be as self sufficient, foodwise, as possible. We have our gardens, of course, and we will have three chickens for the eggs, and we have 'speed beef' which is what Levi calls venison. In these days, my hope is to have an abundance, enough that we are able to be generous with others.
Mostly, I try to make sure that I do not waste an opportunity to be kind. It doesn't change that big picture a bit. It is still awful out there. But tonight, coming home from a party, Tim wanted to stop and get a sandwich. We pulled into McDonalds and in front of the building was someone that I'd written about before. He was bundled up against the damp and the cold, sitting on a bench, his head bobbing as he dozed.
We were in the drive through line, and it was decided with no discussion. I said what I wanted to do and Tim handed me his wallet. I got out of the car and walked out front. The man dozed still and he twitched in his sleep, but he jerked awake immediately when I touched him. "Go inside, get warm, and grab something to eat," I said. Then I came home and tried once again to convince a traumatized cat that he can trust me.
I can't do anything about the big picture, but let me look around to see what I can do within the narrow confines of my own insignificance.
This song starts out with "I believe that I know this place", but moves to "I feel I should know this place" and finishes with "I don't really don't really know this place."
That's how I feel. My world has turned into something that I no longer know.
It is so weird now, it is leaving us confused..how can it be real..and happening.
ReplyDeleteLive an honest life in hope
It just makes me sad that it just is becoming normalized. Our speaker of the house defended tRUMP by saying that it wasn't corruption because he was doing it openly. I know many people who believe the same way, that he might be a bad guy but he's not hiding it. How does that make sense? How does it make any sense at all?
DeleteHow many times I have said that exact sentence! Or, "I feel like an alien who has been dropped on a different planet". Maybe I shouldn't go down this road, but I have wondered if, in previous generations, people experiencing such unacceptable events as we are seeing, didn't join forces and take up arms. I mean, didn't wars start when people refused to accept what was being forced upon them? It doesn't seem like people all just said, "I can't do anything about it." Indeed, many lives have been sacrificed because of beliefs. Just saying what has gone through my head---- not trying to start anything........
ReplyDeleteYou misunderstand. I can do something and I do that. But I have to acknowledge the fact that I am not big enough to change what is happening in Washington DC. The people to do that are the people in DC, the ones we voted to represent us, to be our voices there. Sadly, a lot of them are not doing their jobs.
DeleteThis post really hits home. The raw honesty about feeling powerless in the face of global chaos is something so many of us can relate to. But what stands out most is your focus on the “small picture”—the kindness, the community, the everyday good.
ReplyDeleteFixing up your home, sharing food, helping someone cold and hungry—those are powerful acts, no matter how insignificant they may feel. Thank you for showing what real compassion looks like.
I feel as if I am living in a broken world. I cannot allow myself to be broken.
DeleteI keep hoping it will all end soon. I am just fearful how though.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that it will end. Evil doesn't triumph in the long term and what is happening now is unsustainable. But the other day I found myself wondering if the pendulum will swing back in my lifetime, and I have to say no. I don't think it will. I can't believe that I am saying this, but it is what I think, and it makes me sad.
DeleteJust too much in too many places, too many powerful people who do not want change, looking into your community is the positive way forward.
ReplyDeleteThat's all we can do.
DeleteYour kindness helps to buffer the situation. Thanks. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI just think the world needs all the kindness we can pour into it.
DeleteYou collectively with others do make up someone who can do something.
ReplyDeleteSo you gave the man money to buy food? I hope he did. The noddies while asleep I think indicates heroin usage, but the person can still feel cold, hungry and miserable.
I miss the days when you open the top of a washing machine to see what it was doing, even if the lid was locked for spin drying. Ray would say, you don't need to know what it is doing. If the clothes are clean, just let it do its thing. But that did not suit my curious mind.
I've had visits from Asep, and if not an AI bot, certainly it is AI written. But, a well known blogger whose first language is not English uses AI to write now, and so I don't automatically dismiss AI writing.
Well, I have to say that Asep is another example of simply being kind. His comments are kind. It is obvious that his first language is not English. His blogs are not advertising. It costs me nothing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
DeleteThe man in question is about 70 years old. I'm not sure what his story is. But if I see someone sitting outside in the rain and cold, I would rather give him the benefit of the doubt as well. What he does with the kindness extended to him is up to him. Withholding kindness because I've judged him to be not worthy of kindness would make me a pretty awful human being...maybe even a republican. We can't have that.
Your distress is palpable and completely understandable, but if the quiet people, like Tim, are speaking out now, there is hope.
ReplyDeleteIt's all we can do. To be perfectly honest, Tim and I have talked about it, and we truly cannot see ourselves voting republican again.
DeleteIt's distressing enough to us, watching from the outside. Thank you for putting into words how many Americans must be feeling at the moment.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful to watch mostly because with every new outrage, it just seems that we've hit rock bottom. But...we haven't. The next day, there's another outrage.
DeleteI agree, Debby, we must just do the good that we can do. I am starting to help with our local food pantry; that is something that actually helps people, and in my own community. The need is great, and getting worse. Helping in any way keeps me from feeling helpless. Helpless is what "they" want because the helpless hold on to anything that appears to save them from drowning.
ReplyDeleteGood for you, Karla. That helpless feeling is the worst. I often feel that way. I need the balance of being purposeful in my corner of the world.
DeleteI may not be able to do large-scale things, but I can do small things in my corner. I come here to your blog because you're sane and thoughtful, and give me hope, even when yours is lagging.
DeleteIf we all act on our need to protest, to help people who are being hurt, we will have an impact. And we need to keep up each other's spirits while we act. Thank you for what you do.
ReplyDeleteEncouraging words. Thank you.
DeleteI think that we can't change big things, easily, but small kindnesses can ultimately lead to big changes. Putting good out into the world is huge, especially in these times.
ReplyDeleteI hope so. I desperately hope so.
DeleteAs I just wrote in a comment on another blog, I think it is more important than ever for us to keep writing, keep speaking, keep adding our voices to all the others who see what is going on for what it is. And keep doing what we can to create some goodness, some peace.
ReplyDeleteThank you for you email. It made me cry too. It is important.
DeleteI, too, have wondered what I can do to fight the infection that has struck our country. First, like you, I can be more understanding
ReplyDeleteof those less fortunate than myself, more patient with others. At, 84, I can no longer march in protest, but I can support those who can. I am not rich, but every couple of months I can send a small check to ACLU. I subscribe to The Contrarian and Heather Scott Richardson's emails for an honest view of today's news. Finally, I have decided to forward to my personal Facebook page everything I see that tells it like it is regarding the orange bastard and his rotten followers and their ugly treasonous actions. If I can convince just one person to change their minds about supporting him, then perhaps they, in turn, will be able to convince their spouse, neighbor, or friend to do the same. My son-in-law and I have agreed that if things really go south, there might be a day when he and I each get a knock on the door. So, what will happen - will I get sent to El Salvador?
Save me a place, Ana. I imagine I will be right behind you.
DeleteEvery little bit helps and I think it adds up. We can't lose hope. Kindness and truth and honesty will win out somehow. Keep doing the nice things that you do, Debby. You are such a good example for us.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of people trying to do good things. We need to remember that. In the middle of all of this, there are good people too.
DeleteOh, I cried when I read your post. We have so many homeless here that it breaks my heart just to think about it. But I must believe that every little kindness we give will add up to something, sometime. I don't comment on your posts often, but I read them and root for you every day.
ReplyDeleteDJan, I am rooting for the whole world at this point. Everyone.
DeleteWell this is not a significant post. You would never write an insignificant post. Great conclusion on this post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Red. Are you near the wildfires?
DeleteOh, believe me, I agree 100 percent. How is it that this is the country I grew up in? What would my parents and grandparents think, never mind the founding fathers (and mothers)? These thoughts cross my mind every day, even though I now live in another country entirely where we DO have a king.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you're right. We just have to resist in whatever way we can -- by voting, by speaking out, by not tolerating the bullshit.
DeleteNone of us have a choice
DeleteThis is totally unrelated to your post, but I just fell back in time and had to come ask if you remember "WhiteStone"? I saw something on another blog about the scripture referencing a white stone and it led me to look back at her blog. That's when I saw you read there, too. She's been gone over a decade now. A different world then. (so I guess that sort of IS related to your post)
ReplyDeleteI think of WhiteStone every time I see a white stone. I think of how random cancer is. Some of us get it, do treatment, and do fine. Other people get it, do treatment and die. And it makes me feel very lucky. She was a good, good person.
DeleteYou did a very good thing. ❤️
ReplyDeleteI am afraid that well-intentioned protests will do little good. Unless there is wide-ranging continual mass protest, it won’t concern you-know-who, and I don’t think there is the will or taste for that. Gah! I’m being a downer, Sorry.
I think that we have a lot of politicians who do not want lose their cushy jobs. The louder their constituents get, the more they will worry. Maybe that will matter.
DeleteMy representative and senators are members of the taco club. I still call, just to take up time in their staff's day. I can't believe we are letting this happen. I know so many people my age (late 60's, early 70's) that are looking for a leader to tell us what to do. Where are the young people? Today's haunting photos are the minors with hands zip tied for court and the moms being dragged away from their children. What I want to know is who are these men in facemasks, jeans, sneakers, and badges that you can buy on etsy?
ReplyDeleteI think the protests are working. I think it makes the dissent visible in the community. I know every protest I attend gets bigger and bigger as more people see they are not alone and are safe saying what they think. It is a small step. What we need is leadership on the next steps from the federal level.
Today he posted a totally false, fairy tale nightmare on his professional page. Why is congress and the supreme court tolerating this?
Was it the one about Biden was executed years ago, and a clone has taken his place? I mean, what person looks at that and believes it? It's craziness. His truth social is bullshit central.
DeleteWell said, Crap Social is truly bullshit central.
DeleteJim and I wonder what this country will be in the future. Will there be elections in 2026? Will the election, if held, be stolen? Are we going to end up with CBP and ICE on every street corner with guns? Never in a million years did I think things would reach this point. I copied this off twitter, "It took the Nazis 10 years to get to the holocaust phase, that’s 10 years Germans believed they’d get another election or that maybe it won’t be so bad. That’s where the majority of the US is right now." I miss President Biden.
ReplyDeleteI no longer recognize the country I was born in, I never thought I would say this, but I just did. Like Allison, I miss Joe Biden.
ReplyDelete