Not avoidant enough.
There is no way to keep one's head in the sand and not be emotionally impacted by the executive and legislative branches of the US government right now. I live in Canada, as one of my FB people pointed out: I should be fine! No. No no very not. I should not be fine. I am a US citizen, my immediate family lives in the US, the majority of the people who matter to me live in the US, and I am a global citizen who lives in a country that is adjacent to and very aware of the US. I am hurt by what's going on. It's hard to read the headlines, it's hard to read the details, and it's really damn scary to think about the consequences of these actions, short-term or long-term. It's impossible to know how these first 100 days will impact history, will impact my brother's healthcare and therefore his livelihood, will impact my niece's higher educations, will impact my parents' retirement. What about the future of the environment, of scientific advancements, of global improvements to quality of life? I am affected. I cannot avoid well enough to be unaffected. I cannot retreat into the bubble of my toddler's life deeply enough... well, that's probably not true. I think for a weekend I could dedicate myself to synagogue and toddler and husband enough to avoid all outside news, but it wouldn't last, and many would say it shouldn't.
I would like to talk about other things like books and fun outings and pretty places and movies, but I am not reading anything new, or going very far, or seeing new movies. I will infuse as much positivity as I can into what I write, but I don't want to fool my future-self reading back here: it's a tough time right now. I don't really know how to recharge. I'm not good at choosing to go to sleep. I'm eating okay, but not exercising intentionally or consistently. Right now I'm aiming for some mental relaxation, as a start, which can lead to better focus and resolve in other areas.
It's Wednesday. Tomorrow is a full-day workshop on "Difficult Conversations." I hope it has something new to teach me, or at least is an engaging day. Friday, our associate dean is taking our coffee order and making fancy coffee for us in the office! Also, I will have a new delightful challah from our friend who is newly a baker of such, and there is a shabbat dinner as synagogue. Sunday is parent/teacher conferences at Hebrew school, so less programming for me to plan. This week is going to lead to next week. That's not uplifting, it's not "enough," but it will have to do.
This entry was originally posted at http://avivasedai.dreamwidth.org/673535.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
I would like to talk about other things like books and fun outings and pretty places and movies, but I am not reading anything new, or going very far, or seeing new movies. I will infuse as much positivity as I can into what I write, but I don't want to fool my future-self reading back here: it's a tough time right now. I don't really know how to recharge. I'm not good at choosing to go to sleep. I'm eating okay, but not exercising intentionally or consistently. Right now I'm aiming for some mental relaxation, as a start, which can lead to better focus and resolve in other areas.
It's Wednesday. Tomorrow is a full-day workshop on "Difficult Conversations." I hope it has something new to teach me, or at least is an engaging day. Friday, our associate dean is taking our coffee order and making fancy coffee for us in the office! Also, I will have a new delightful challah from our friend who is newly a baker of such, and there is a shabbat dinner as synagogue. Sunday is parent/teacher conferences at Hebrew school, so less programming for me to plan. This week is going to lead to next week. That's not uplifting, it's not "enough," but it will have to do.
This entry was originally posted at http://avivasedai.dreamwidth.org/673535.html. Please comment there using OpenID.