Will versus Worry

Dear you,

I don't know the source of this quotation, but I love it and whoever said it:  "The beauty of life is in denying mortality, not arranging your life around it."

Thank you. Truth! The trick is striking a wise balance and asking myself "am I just procrastinating and avoiding realities I must face or am I seeing things clearly enough to be sensibly fearless?"  After all, worrying about daily glitches and that end-of-life thing is pointless.  I'm all in for delusional feelings of immortality! And yet, I worry about the here and now which makes me feel very mortal and kind of old:

I worry about the newly inflated HOA condo fees and the number of for-sale listings I see here in Villas land.

I worry about the weird little beep my car makes when I shift into park.

I worry about the tiny gash on my left elbow, not remembering when or how that happened.

I worry about the horror of a possible Trump return to the White House.

I worry about the hurricane survivors who have no water.

I worry about Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine (and now Lebanon).

I worry that I bore my cat.

No matter how much I strive for the "don't fear the reaper" attitude, the worries make me feel very, very not mythic.  And mortal. I know taking constructive action is best; don't worry/be an action figure!

I will chose a real estate broker and get this condo sold.

I will shop for a new vehicle.

I will pay attention to where my body is in space and limit my dancing-flailing approach to movement.

I will vote and send more money to support #Harris/Walz2024.

I will find out how to get that water running and back whoever can make that happen.

I will continue to stand with Ukraine, Israel, the people of Palestine and Lebanon.

I will now play with my cat who needs her person to not be such a drag.

The wills make more sense than the worries.  Even if I am delusional/immortal, I can still deal with the glitches, still(as Aurelie Sheehan wrote, this time I have the source) know that "everything matters utterly - you are made of the minutes you spend."

We are made of these minutes we spend, even if we pretend to be immortal with unlimited minutes.

Here's to the wills and not the worries.

Carry on,

Joyce

Damage

Dear you,

Well, here we are.  A few days from a nation-changing election and I am embedded in Trump country keeping my head up.  Or at least trying to.  Of course, reality looms large, such as the damage done by hurricane Helene.  We do not even know the total death toll or extent of damage.  And while we work to do our best to help, the freaks on the far right are undermining the truth about aid, about help from FEMA, and as you have all heard, they even suggest the hurricane itself was created by whatever they think the left is.  See the infamous MTG of Georgia:  "they can control the weather."  Wow. I am more powerful than I realized! But oh her words, and those of others, do damage.  Undermining truth and undermining what is actually happening to aid those in desperate circumstances. 

And speaking of intentional damage, we face an election in Florida that includes an amendment that would protect abortion rights.  But look first at what the amendment states and then see what the state of Florida added to "comment" on that amendment #4: "No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider.  This amendment does not change the Legislature's constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion."

Here follows some commentary added to the ballot summary sent to voters: "The proposed amendment would result in significantly more abortions and fewer live births per year in Florida . . . An increase in abortions may negatively affect the growth of state and local revenues over time." 

An economic impact prediction/spin?  Really?  A female's autonomy be damned; "let's consider cost."  OF COURSE THERE WILL BE FEWER BIRTHS.  Fewer FORCED births.  Anyone who looks at this issue through the lens of economic impacts is seriously damaged.  Cold, darling.  Just cold. And wrong.  And barbaric. And damaged.

Oh, how they lie.

And then there is Oklahoma, whose school board is requiring schools to include Christian biblical texts in their courses.  This, even if the course is not "World Religions".  And those biblical texts that must be included are ones that insert documents such as the American constitution, the Declaration of Independence, etc., oh, like the recently published TRUMP BIBLES?  Damage.  Damage done to spiritual truth, to the separation of church and state, to essential intellectual coherence.

Well, there you have it.  Meanwhile, here I am in Seagrove Beach, Florida, during what people call "fall break".  This means tons of super-loud pickup trucks with excessive amounts of "short term renters" pulling in to the Villas and taking over. The damage they will do this week is already visible.

Signing off now.  I have to wander around my over-priced parking lot and pick up trash (oh, you don't want to know exactly what that trash includes) tossed from those Trumpy pickup trucks.  Enjoy your stay, assholes! 

Hang in there, everyone.  Damage is done, but truth and hope must rule!  What is the alternative? Be strong.  Be, I hope, all in for #HarrisWalz2024.

Love,

Joyce