Sandals and a Stick

Owning Social Media Feeds

Instagram will be my online refuge. This will be my source for heart and soul healing. This will be the only site I look at before retiring for the night. I will no longer lie in bed unable to fall asleep because of a head full of anger and frustration, but will, with a calm and grateful heart, drift off in peaceful slumber.

The Petty and The Great

Jeff Bridges (The President) addresses Congress, and his message is powerful. It’s this message I would want to hear from any president. It’s this message I would expect from any president. And, yes, I know this is just a movie. But this hero stands with the best of us. All of us. He believes in a government which, in the movie, is referred to as the Chapel of Democracy. There are divisive political issues, certainly. But the bottom line favors democracy itself, no matter the issue or the opinion.

It Bears Repeating

Gratefulness is a strong antidote to anxiety, depression, fear, worry, and even helplessness. I know this to be true because it changes my attitude - Every. Single. Time. It smooths out the edges, lightens up the darkness, and physically changes my posture from downward leaning to upward lifting. I’ve got a brain. I can remember recipes, phone numbers, and some chemical formulas. WHY then, do I continually struggle to be grateful? It’s like I’m purposely self-sabotaging my existence.

Attitude and Ice Cream

This morning, I woke up and immediately relived the experience. But something, probably because I had rested and my amygdala was hibernating, began to take shape in my mind. What if? I remember times when I prayed for help. I remember times when, in one form or another, help was received. Again, the question, “What if?” I decided to accept an imagined fact. I have no way to verify this new attitude adjustment. I have no way to guarantee that what I was thinking actually occurred. But the anger was gone, and joy filled its place. I’m going with the visualized scenario.

Pain And Suffering Are Not the Same

However, the above process does not always reflect reality. • What if physical pain does not come before suffering? • What if suffering becomes the beginning of the cycle? • What if ‘normal’ never comes at all?

I Talk to Machines

Well, it will take me more time to consider this 'normal'. I asked CoPilot about weirdness, and in my mind, it is! However, I will admit my appreciation for the praise bestowed upon me by this circuit-fed, algorithm-generated, mechanical but not, step-by-step automated responder.