tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post1146052154639607350..comments2024-03-18T21:09:10.627-05:00Comments on Every goddamn day: 03/19/24: Texas Notes: Bitter and SweetNeil Steinberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468057838260476480noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-52114655635569014572020-07-04T15:17:56.588-05:002020-07-04T15:17:56.588-05:00Ours was old and not in good health. But Leo got s...Ours was old and not in good health. But Leo got steroid shots that perked him up enough so that he was able to spend two more summers "lion" in the sun. He loved the sun. Then he became diabetic, and that was the ballgame for our Orangy Boy. <br /><br />Now it is green and gorgeous summertime once again, and there's an empty space on the screen porch. Leo is greatly missed. We outlive our animal companions. It's a major design flaw.Grizz 65https://www.blogger.com/profile/02892702223228764894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-39202155525518360982020-07-04T13:48:15.587-05:002020-07-04T13:48:15.587-05:00Ah yes Les. I don't have children but I can al...Ah yes Les. I don't have children but I can almost imagine. I feel such worry and concern for clients I've served over the years, folks in the community who are suffering, friends and family that I can relate a bit. I agree that moments of respite from worry and from thinking or problem solving are our saving grace.Carenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948322374348472360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-55203860559319539872020-07-04T13:47:10.040-05:002020-07-04T13:47:10.040-05:00Not meant for you people with the insightful comme...Not meant for you people with the insightful comments.<br /><br />johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06215684866966011198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-45263420808757807102020-07-04T13:43:42.517-05:002020-07-04T13:43:42.517-05:00Powerful words, thank you John. Now I will contemp...Powerful words, thank you John. Now I will contemplate. :)Carenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948322374348472360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-56416686750859814132020-07-04T13:42:32.337-05:002020-07-04T13:42:32.337-05:00It is in tune, thanks John. This is a tough one. ...It is in tune, thanks John. This is a tough one. We cannot tune misguided advice out sometimes. I usually have earplugs with me, which helps depending on the situation. I am working on accepting what others say since I cannot control it, asking for what I need if they care, and trying to keep the focus on the next thing I need to do for myself or others (work, friends, etc). That said, sometimes we just feel angry and that has to be ok too, I guess.Carenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948322374348472360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-87659096027534149162020-07-04T13:31:00.471-05:002020-07-04T13:31:00.471-05:00Thank you for being here, and for seeing the value...Thank you for being here, and for seeing the value of this share. Carenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948322374348472360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-10636463528311003962020-07-04T11:33:11.854-05:002020-07-04T11:33:11.854-05:00I don’t know if what I have to say is at all in tu...I don’t know if what I have to say is at all in tune with Caren’s concerns, but I have always been annoyed by well wishers who holler at me as I stride mightily down the street in a 10k race, “You can do it; keep it up.” I damned well know I can do it. All that their attempts at encouragement do is introduce doubt: maybe I can’t do it. Please shut up, people.<br /><br />Johntatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10088632798195131329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-40134414258066192532020-07-04T10:43:47.464-05:002020-07-04T10:43:47.464-05:00"I am not so sure I want to taste many moment..."I am not so sure I want to taste many moments of this pandemic life twice, yet I often feel guilty about the lack of gratitude for my life as it is. I wonder who else feels that way?"<br /><br />I think everyone has periods of feeling exactly that way. Writing about it does seem to provide some perspective, which can help in bringing hope that a more positive future is within our grasp.SandyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14070366627628604352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-41351733950511954842020-07-04T10:16:10.734-05:002020-07-04T10:16:10.734-05:00Thank you for being here. As you know, people are...Thank you for being here. As you know, people are often well meaning and want to be helpful; however our society doesn't always have a language or tolerance for people who are not "ok." We step over homeless people who may be dying. There's a website, makeitok.org, that helps folks learn the language to use with those who are suffering. Daniel Johnston painted a mural of a frog called Jeremiah The Innocent that says Hi, How Are You? and seeks to remind us to say hello to folks we pass rather than ignoring them. The other problem is the stigma, as you know. There are ways to break it down and it's beginning, but while society loves art and music it still doesn't know, overall, how to care for the artists and musicians who may be suffering. It also doesn't know how to make room for pain or "difference" and seeks to fix instead of accepting. Then there's the whole problem of cycles of drug use, institutionalized racism, and other social ills that are not adequately addressed and create intersectionality that will take generations to undo. Other than that I will try to keep it simple and focus on self care and helping where I can and I hope you have a day with some good moments.Carenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948322374348472360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-17031390192622220752020-07-04T10:09:08.910-05:002020-07-04T10:09:08.910-05:00She really is! She really is! Carenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948322374348472360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-10300349532743004692020-07-04T07:40:58.335-05:002020-07-04T07:40:58.335-05:00Maybe Alfred E. Neuman was on to something when he...Maybe Alfred E. Neuman was on to something when he said, “What? Me worry?”. <br />Not always easy to set aside negative distractions as things become “Yes. Me worry.”<br />I too have found that meditation helps. Some days are easier than others to reach a peaceful state.<br />Pets help.<br />The hardest part is when you know your children are experiencing the same sort of lows and there’s not a thing that can be done or said to make things better.Leshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16679840606511726447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-37587042444265182682020-07-04T07:24:22.275-05:002020-07-04T07:24:22.275-05:00Thank you, Caren. You packed a whole lot of helpf...Thank you, Caren. You packed a whole lot of helpful guidance along with much food for deep thought in today's column. One simple statement which caused me considerable contemplation already this morning was the currently oft mentioned fact that this virus is changing the world forever. This caused me to realize just how many times over the seven decades of my life the world has "changed forever." Then I also started thinking about how my life has changed forever in some dramatic ways many times over the decades. I guess this is what life is meant to be, whether the life of an individual or a society or the whole world. Each change brings loss as well as gain. Perhaps seeing when the gains outweigh the losses is one part of living a joyful life.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06481674986802987213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-63094507011845697242020-07-04T05:39:19.412-05:002020-07-04T05:39:19.412-05:00Thank you. The need to be in the present and accep...Thank you. The need to be in the present and accepting it as it is, but with the knowledge that acceptance doesn't have to mean complacency, is almost necessary. <br />"You got this" and "You are stronger than _____" gets irritating when you are battling for your life against an illness that is winning. The well wishers often seem to be in denial - while i have to battle the reality.Paul Fedrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04384556977324071639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3972382144120426476.post-67600379668236429422020-07-04T01:12:03.054-05:002020-07-04T01:12:03.054-05:00If you have an orange kitty (even temporarily, as ...If you have an orange kitty (even temporarily, as I did for 4 1/2 years), then life is good. They're unusually sweet and affectionate. Orangies are the best!Grizz 65https://www.blogger.com/profile/02892702223228764894noreply@blogger.com