Tag Archives: news

Overwhelmed By The State Of The World (or I Stand With Ukraine)

Posted on March 2, 2022 | Comments Off on Overwhelmed By The State Of The World (or I Stand With Ukraine)

The past 2 years have changed the world in so many ways. And I think the way I see the world has changed as well. While I was isolated, everything was slightly disconnected from me since I wasn’t out in the world with others. I felt some separation at times between what was happening and my reality. Sometimes this was because others didn’t seem to have the same concerns as I did and I couldn’t connect how others were so carefree and I was so worried. And other times, it was just because everything seemed so overwhelming and I couldn’t take it all in so things didn’t hit me as hard.

While things with the pandemic have gotten better, the way I connect with the world has remained similar to how it has been the past 2 years. And when I hear of major news stories, I think there is still a sense of disconnect out there. And that’s a bit of how I felt when the invasion of Ukraine started.

I am still educating myself on what is happening and the history, so I’m not going to speak too much on that. I do know enough to know I completely stand with Ukraine. The invasion was done claiming self-defense when the citizens of Ukraine did nothing other than to be their own country and not fall in line with another country. So many innocent lives have already been lost and the trauma of people who have survived unthinkable things is going to be unmeasurable. And I am aware of the racism of having this reaction to what is happening now and not having the same reaction when this happened to other countries where the citizens might not look the same way I do. I have been shocked when some reporters have said that this is a civilized country and this shouldn’t be happening when they haven’t said similar things about other countries.

I know a lot of people want to help and it can be tough to know the right places to put money or energy. But this seems like a good list with reliable organizations you can donate to if you would like to do so.

I am trying to stay on top of the news while not obsessing over it. And I do find it odd and interesting that we are seeing things happen in real-time over social media. I think that is also making me feel a bit disconnected as well since these images are things I’m used to seeing in historical video footage, not things that are happening now. But it is happening now and it is something that we need to be aware of.

It’s weird to think about writing blog posts about other things happening in my life. I know that there is nothing wrong with living my life, but I also need to acknowledge that being able to do so is a privilege. These past two years have shown us over and over again that what seems like normal life can change in an instant. What seems mundane and taken for granted could be gone in an instant.  We need to enjoy what we have now, but also recognize that not everyone is as lucky as we are. And I know that these are things that I probably should have considered more in my past, but I am working on changing now and making sure I don’t forget to think about this.

And if you are struggling emotionally at all right now, I loved this post I saw online the other day.

There is no right or wrong way to be dealing with emotions right now. We are all feeling a lot and we are being exposed to the news a lot more than past generations have. We have to be aware of what is happening, but also gentle with ourselves as we come to terms with the reality of the world. That’s what I’m doing now and I hope that I can find a balance between being respectful of what is happening but not being too overwhelmed by it to not be able to do things that I want to do.

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Default ThumbnailOverwhelmed By The Election (or Politics Time) Default ThumbnailStill Taking Action When Overwhelmed (or We Cannot Stop) Default ThumbnailI Stand With IATSE (or Union Strong) Default ThumbnailWorld Mental Health Day (or Seeing So Many People Be So Open) Default ThumbnailSmall World (or Always Speak Positively) Default ThumbnailThings Feel Like They Are Too Much (or Being Informed Might Not Be The Best For Me)

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Things Feel Like They Are Too Much (or Being Informed Might Not Be The Best For Me)

Posted on September 11, 2020 | Comments Off on Things Feel Like They Are Too Much (or Being Informed Might Not Be The Best For Me)

There is no question that things are overwhelming right now. I think it was overwhelming enough when we just had the election. Then add the pandemic, massive job losses, the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality, racial discrimination, concerns over the availability of food and supplies, misleading news, national disasters, and everything else going on in the world. It’s so hard to find good news these days with all the bad news we are hearing. And while I know it’s a good thing to be informed and to know what is happening in the world, it also isn’t always the best thing.

We have an endless supply of news between the 24-hour news channels, online news, and social media. When we are busy with other things happening in our lives like work and going out, we don’t have as much time to see all the news that never ends. But now, most of us have very little to do each day. I try to stay busy, but some of that busy time is scrolling through social media and then I see all the news as it’s happening. And then sometimes if I see a tweet or a post about something I don’t know about, then I go down a rabbit hole of learning more about it.

There needs to be a balance in my life of staying informed but not being overwhelmed. I know I’ve struggled to find this balance so many times in the past. But it feels so much harder now that I don’t have other things taking up my time. I’ve been trying to take steps to work on this a lot lately. The biggest step I’ve taken is to do daily breaks from my phone. I will put my phone down, turn off notifications, and sit in a different area to read or do something else. I don’t do this too long each time since there are some things I do that are time-sensitive for the little bit of work that I have now, but I can take 15-20 minute breaks a few times a day.

I have found these breaks to be helpful and have been calming me down a bit. I do have some anxiety from not being next to my phone (which is a different issue that I know many of us have), but the positive effects of doing this have easily outweighed the bad. When I take these breaks, I also usually am doing something that distracts me from my phone like watching some tv or reading a book. I know that while you are doing something else you aren’t always looking at your phone, and I typically don’t while reading. But when I’m reading, I have taken time out to scroll through my phone even though I don’t need to. And when I’m watching tv, I’m also usually on my phone doing something too. There are some shows that do get my full attention, but these days I’m watching a lot of random stuff I don’t focus on too much. And while multi-tasking can be a good thing, it’s not necessary for me to do and it’s not helping me.

I know I can’t ignore the news completely because I do like being informed and trying to use my voice and platform to raise voices that need to be heard. I want to be an activist for causes I’m passionate about. I might not be an activist the same way that others are, but I know that I’m taking steps to do what I feel like I can do and handle. I don’t feel comfortable going to protests for a few reasons, but that doesn’t mean I can’t support them or use social media to share my message and what others are saying.

I doubt the news is going to be any less overwhelming for a while. Even if natural disasters aren’t in the news, there are so many other things that will only be intensifying. The closer we get to the election, the more news I know we will be hearing. And after the election, I expect things will still be tough. I need to be mentally prepared for that. And part of that preparation is realizing that sometimes I don’t have to be reading as much news every day to stay informed.

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Default ThumbnailAnd Some More Politics (or Appreciating Social Media) Default ThumbnailJust Taking Things One Day At A Time (or Handling What Is Right Now) Default ThumbnailFinding More Ways To Help Via Social Media (or Continuing To Share Good Things) Default ThumbnailAlmost Getting My Lazy Birthday (or Staying In And Staying Busy) Default ThumbnailGetting Informed About A Contract (or A Union Meeting Before A Vote) Default ThumbnailThank You (or You All Made Me Feel Less Alone)

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Fake Inspiration (or I’m Not A Beginner)

Posted on March 11, 2014 | Comments Off on Fake Inspiration (or I’m Not A Beginner)

I have lots of websites that I read every day. One of those is Jezebel. I think they’ve got some interesting stories and even if I don’t always agree with their opinion, the articles are different from what I read on other sites.

Yesterday on Jezebel, I saw an article about a post that someone had written on Facebook congratulating an overweight person for running. The entire article is here, but I’ll give you a quick summary. Basically, the person was saying that it must be so hard to run when you are carrying double the weight of the average person and how great it is that they aren’t giving up. That was weird to read.

But what got to me was the updated version of the article where someone had written a response. I don’t think the response was written by the actually person that the Facebook post was talking about, but they get the point.

The response is saying that they shouldn’t be congratulating the overweight person for trying. They are a runner, just like anyone else. And that nobody has any idea of the journey that the person has gone through so far and what part of the journey that they are currently on.

I totally get this. I’ve written about something similar that has happened to me at SoulCycle. And I still feel like people look at me there as someone who is new, not someone who has been there for over a year.

I’ve also had similar things happen to me at various 5Ks that I’ve done. I remember when I did the Hard Rock one, there was someone at the finish line who came up to me to say that they thought I was very brave for doing a 5K and being able to finish. When I told them that that was my 7th 5K for the year, they were in shock and didn’t really say anything to me afterwards.

Same thing happened at the Christmas Run. Someone who was walking back as I was trying to cross the finish line stopped to give me a high-five. Normally, that would be awesome. But then they said that I should be so proud that I’m going to be able to say that I’m finally a finisher.

I had said that I was a finisher in 8 other 5Ks in 2013 before that one. And about half a dozen other 5Ks that I’ve done other years.

It’s really annoying. I know that people mean well and think that they are encouraging me, but it’s really condescending. They are obviously judging me by my appearance and thinking that I’m a beginner.

If people just want to congratulate me on finishing or encourage me to keep going, that’s fine. But you don’t have to add something about me doing this for the first time.

Because my wall makes it very clear that I am a 5K racer. No matter what I look like. I am a finisher and there’s no denying that.

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The Exciting News (or Meet Chaucer!)

Posted on December 17, 2013 | Comments Off on The Exciting News (or Meet Chaucer!)

On Saturday, before I went to the show, I called my mom to check in. I wanted to see how she was feeling after chemo and how Dante was doing. When I first tried calling, nobody answered. So I tried calling again after I had my lunch and then my mom answered.

She said that she didn’t answer before because my parents were being interviewed to adopt a puppy! My parents have been looking at getting another puppy for a little over a year now. The search seemed to be put on hold a bit when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer and then put on hold again after we found out about Dante’s cancer. But my mom was still casually looking at puppies every so often.

My brother found this puppy online and my parents decided to go and see the puppy and get interviewed to see if they could potentially adopt him. There were a bunch of people at the interview (there were 6 puppies up for adoption) and when my parents were interviewed, they felt like they had a good chance at getting a puppy. They had to share which puppy they were most interested in, but the foster mom was going to match the dogs with families that she felt were the best fit.

So on Saturday afternoon, my parents didn’t know if they would get the puppy or when they might find out either way. But on Sunday morning, I got 2 emails pretty much at the same time from my parents.

They got the puppy!!!

His name is Chaucer (and they think they will keep the name because it’s cute and it’s literary like Dante). He was rescued from a hoarder and we know that his mother was a German Shepherd (we don’t know what his father was). He’s 7 weeks old right now and he should be coming home right before Christmas (so I’ll be home when Chaucer comes home). And I know I’m biased because this puppy is the newest member of the family, but I think he’s the cutest thing ever!

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This picture was taken a week or two ago so he looks a little older now (at least that’s what my parents told me).

Now, I hope you all don’t think that we are getting Chaucer as a replacement for Dante. My parents have been looking at puppies for a while and they said that when they met the right puppy they would get it. This is just how the timing worked out. Dante still enjoys playing with other dogs, so I think that getting him a puppy is really going to make him happier and perk him up. And hopefully Dante will help us in training Chaucer.

I’m just so happy that we are going to have a new member of our family. I know that I won’t get to see the puppy too often, but I’m excited to get to meet him in a week and spend a few days with him before he grows up too much.

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Default ThumbnailWelcome Tucker! (or Filling The Dog Shaped Hole In My Family) Default ThumbnailCountdown To Saturday (or I’m Actually Excited To Get On A Plane) Default ThumbnailHome Again (or Missing Dante) Default ThumbnailExciting News (or Sometimes It Pays To Wait It Out) Default ThumbnailWelcome Chaucer (or The Fluffy Puppy Has Arrived) Default ThumbnailExciting Weekend Plans (or Finally Meeting The Puppy!)

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Sandy (or I Hope You Are All Safe)

Posted on October 30, 2012 | Comments Off on Sandy (or I Hope You Are All Safe)

The idea of tornadoes and hurricanes freak me out. Part of it is the idea of knowing that something is about to hit (sometimes the surprise element of earthquakes are a blessing). I remember when I was younger and my family was visiting my mom’s friend in Iowa I thought every gust of wind was a tornado about to hit.

So when a tornado or hurricane hits, I become a news junkie and want to know everything. I’ve been trying to get all the news I can about Hurricane Sandy. I have lots of friends and family on the east coast and I want to make sure that they are all safe. The news is great, but twitter and Facebook are better.

All of my friends seem to be able to at least get a tweet or status update saying that they are ok and safe. That’s all I want to hear from everyone. I know that some people might not be able to get home for a few days due to the water, but as long as they are safe, I’m happy.

I’m so glad that everyone is safe. And now that is seems like the worst of the storm is over (and the focus is on cleanup), I’m now trying to figure out which tweets/status updates/news photos are fake. There are some photos that are too crazy to believe. Some of them are real (which is upsetting), but some of the weirdest ones, like the sharks swimming in neighborhoods, are fake.

I hope that if you are reading this on the east coast, you are safe. And I hope that the cleanup is quick.

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