Saturday
Image: Spring and Dandelions. After the winter comes rebirth. Pink dandelions, like their yellow counterparts, are a symbol of hope, dreams, and wishes. They remind us of the passage of time, the transitory nature of life. A dandelion holds within itself healing properties, strengthening and detoxifying. Let’s be like dandelions.
Had a tech come in to look at the ‘fridge. It has been gathering water and freezing below the crisper drawers ever since we moved in. He says it needs a gasket, and he adjusted the temperature slightly. If he can’t get the gasket today, he will be back next Saturday because he only works weekends. Because his house keeps getting broken into so he needs to be home to install bars inside the windows rather than just outside. The fence is already up. He says he doesn’t know why he’s telling me this. I say I’m sorry that he’s dealing with that. It’s awful that people will steal from their neighbors. I didn’t ask which village he lives in. I don’t want to know.
Craig and I have picked up a saying: That’s just Guam.
On the plus side, the stove is functional. I wasn’t reading the display correctly. What I thought was “H 5” or “hot five” was actually “HS” or “hot surface.” Thank goodness for online operation manuals. I feel pretty stupid. But to be fair, “S” and “5” are exactly the same on the display.
What’s wrong with knobs? Do we need everything to be digital?
As for writing, I was able to write up a craft-focused post for the Type M for Murder blog. In the piece, I define and discuss a plot structure called a “frame narrative.”
Focusing on a craft topic gave me a hopeful and energized feeling. Even if sharing/selling stories and novels isn’t in the cards for some of us right now, we can work on improving skills no matter what. It feels good to think about my art/craft rather than marketing/selling.
Society in Crisis or Shift
The hardest issue for me right now is how to even think about the future when everything right now is so chaotic. I try not to be political online, but what’s happening now is beyond politics. It’s societal. It feels like a societal crisis at worst, a shift at best.
I don’t care what political party, if any, someone aligns with. This is BEYOND that. This is about who we are as a society. What is the world, the community we want to see when we look outside the window? That is the question.
What is the role of the artist/writer in times of societal upheaval? That is another question.
These are a test of my philosophy and outlook on life. I believe we can’t control circumstances and can only control our reactions to circumstances. My chosen reaction to chaos is to make my home and my daily life a kind of haven. Daily exercise to strengthen my body and lift my mood. Meditation to keep stress hormones under control and to visualize the future I hope to see. Journal to keep track of projects and review my actions and reactions and challenges. Communicating with friends and family through various ways and means to stay connected in an isolating situation.
Notes for what I hope we’ll do as we move into this whirlwind of change and uncertainty:
- Be kind and patient with one another. These times are so stressful, it’s easy for people to snap.
- Give each other some grace, some leeway. We aren’t all going to react to circumstances the same way or with the same intensity.
- Look for the good in each other.
- Look for agreements rather than what we do not agree on.
- Understand that we are ALL susceptible to deceit, to con artistry, to promises, to misrepresentations, to tribal thinking.
- Provide a sympathetic ear and encouragement when you can.
I’m talking to myself here in this journal but maybe others will read these ideas and be encouraged. Today, I am thinking of people who have shared with me lately about their experiences, their challenges, their actual stress and suffering because of the seismic societal shifts taking place. My heart aches. I want to reach out and hold my friends close in a hug. I want to offer empathy, sympathy, and understanding.
My actual arms are empty. All I have are words.
I hope everyone keeps in mind that every news story online or the evening news or your favorite podcast represents suffering: family upheavals, job losses, relationship stresses, uncertainty, missed payments, and more. We need to think about the actual people being impacted. Help where we can. Extend grace where we can. Try to walk in someone else’s shoes for a minute and feel compassion and ask yourself, Is this what I truly envisioned?
Also, try to keep a rational and realistic outlook about what is happening, keep what is observed in proportion to the rest of society and the world. This world is complex. Everything is interconnected. One move here is small. Another move over here is also small but has bigger repercussions down the line. Try to see clearly.
It’s hard to know how to do this in such a complex world.
Also, key to remember that things were not perfect before 2025. There are always issues and needs not being addressed, and sometimes people get impatient waiting for change. The pressure builds. Sometimes unscrupulous people take advantage of that impatience and feeling of futility and use it to grab power, but the people might be forgiven for being impatient and in despair enough to support such a charlatan.
There’s nothing new under the sun.
For now, I’m in Guam. That may change or it may not. It’s kind of a weird situation, but I’m taking it day by day. Losing myself in fiction is a good distraction.
I’m wishing peace & love to everyone I know right now. Just putting it out there to the universe, a little dandelion fluff drifting on the currents and carrying a drop of comfort and hope for a better tomorrow.