Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard-earned, makes demands upon us and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on Earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position, it is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism. Each redemptive or loving act as small as you like, such as reading to your little boy or showing him a thing you love or singing him a song or putting on his shoes keeps the devil down in the hole. It says the world and its inhabitants have value and are worth defending. It says the world is worth believing in. In time we come to find that this is so. – Nick Cave
As we wind up the old year and look toward the new, let’s make a serious case for hope. Let’s not ever give up on young people and newborns all over this blue and green planet; they are smarter and more connected than we ever were. They also deserve better, always, from the older adults in the room, including a total abandonment and rejection of cynicism.
You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own. – Michelle Obama
Every year at this time I spent a day or two or three writing down all of my successes for the year gone by, as well as my failures. I am often surprised by the longer list (successes, always), as well as by the similarities in those items of ‘losing’ to what was written last year and the year before that. How silly some of my self-judgements are, and how tired. Then, on New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s Day, I read them back to myself, bless them, give thanks for them, forgive myself for my failings – and then I let them all go. This means whoosh, they’re up and away in flames, either outside over my burn barrel, or inside in my wood stove. Letting go, not allowing yourself to be weighed down by the past – good, bad, indifferent – is essential. Unburden yourself. Create space for the new, inside yourself and out. Let go.
The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. – Barbara Kingsolver
I also inevitably make a list of what I hope for in the New Year. I just found the list for 2025, and how far I have come! And, how unlike my list the years turned out to be for reasons both in and out of my control. Life can be funny that way, surprising you along the journey. Staying open, and curious, about it all. A sense of humor helps, too.
Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open. – John Barrymore
It’s Christmas Day, and while I don’t really celebrate, I do love the quiet days of winter right around now, as the light slowly, slowly returns – thousands of years of tradition giving thanks for the return of the light? Hey, that I can celebrate.
However you roll, happy return to the light. Thanks for being here, and for reading. The world we all live in and have made – along with generations upon generations of our ancestors – is so beautiful, and often, so weird 🙂
*a poem from Brian Bilston,who might just feel about this holiday as I do. He’s calledthe ‘Banksy of Poetry’ and you can find out more about this elusive writer (or can you?!) on wiki, linked here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Bilston
Love my little house. Love. And, when I was renovating, doing most of the gutting and clearing out myself, I discovered there were snakes in the wall, including one whopper of a milk snake at least 5′ long. Now, in general, snakes startle but don’t scare me. Granted, I have never come across a rattle snake or a cobra, but still, in my view because they eat rodents and bugs, they’re okay by me all around. Just don’t slither my way when I haven’t seen you there in the grass, startling me, which they do regardless of my kind regard, and support for their gustatory pursuits.
Here he is, found resting under a few rags I had for whatever purpose on a future shelf, about 2/3rds of the way through the reno. Cute, ain’t he? He slithered away back down and into the wall, possibly because I was laughing and screaming so loudly… sorry, Milky.
Garter, ring, green, and milk snakes – harmless garden friends who gobble up pests, and hardly to blame for the ignominious manner in which the snake is depicted in the Bibble, as a tool and friend of Satan. A woman I once knew (she is deceased) would go nuts, finding them in her garden, crushing them to death with repeated blows of a shovel or rake; she was not terrified except that Satan thing resonated, and all I could do was wonder at it, for otherwise she was a gentle creature. People are, in my view, all too often assholes when it comes to nature and her wild creatures. Bats are another one. They can gobble up mosquitos by the thousands during the night. Please let them! Please. Especially as the globe warms and tropical diseases, often carried by skeeters, make their way north. Sigh.
So yes, there were snakes in the walls of my house and there probably are to this day. Fine. Whatever. The day I found Mr. Big in the wall was a day I had the shop-vac going and what the heck, that electrical cord is – moving? I jumped off the ladder, managing not to hurt myself, and was torn between horror and laughter as I saw the ‘electrical cord’ make its way up the actual electrical wires in the wall to my 2nd floor guest bedroom. What the actual FCK?! It was the sunny wall of the house, facing east (ha! she’s no fool) and given the amount of mice droppings I was also vacuuming up, better you, snake-friend, than those filthy little fckers (they’re cute, but did you know when they’re dropping their droppings, they’re also peeing the whole time? ick).
Here it is – because once I got back on the ladder (after I stopped laughing), I had to capture it – photographically only, of course! the 2nd shot is in the guest bedroom on the 2nd floor of mi casa. Do come for an overnight stay, won’t you? 😉
*TW: This post will – clearly – not appeal to the sensitive or easily grossed out...
Winter is officially upon us again, as is the literal Niagara of snot and sneezing I experience most of the season, but in anticipation can I just say, like, really? Snot? What the fuck is up with mucus? Can you tell me why, some winter and spring and etc. mornings (but especially winter) my schnooze is a running firehose of snot? But, much more than that – why? What purpose, why-fore, wherefore, why, why, why??!! My Kindergarten and first grade report cards make note of my constantly runny nose – so this has been a lifelong – gift? Challenge? Talent? Bewildering cornucopia – of mucus. What is this stuff about, for crying out loud?
Below is the first paragraphs from Wiki on the stuff, and look at all the rabbit holes (citations and links) you’d have to go down in order to get a basic read on what the actual fuck is going on. N.B. that last line, first segment: most of the mucus in the body is produced in the gastrointestinal tract. Ick. Obviously it’s necessary stuff – but, really? This much?
Good news:Mucus is made up of a fluid component of around 95% water, also per wiki. Phew!
Also filing under good to know, here is a basic info guide, which I found helpful and basic (easy to read and comprehend!) re: Snot Colors and their meanings.
Clear snot usually signals allergies or some kind of environmental factor that is triggering your nose to start running, such as inhaling dust or allergens. Clear snot is nothing to worry about. If it’s an inconvenience, an over-the-counter medicine can help relieve the runniness. When you blow your nose and see yellow boogers, that usually means your body is fighting an infection. The yellow coloring comes from white blood cells that have rushed to the area to fight off the infection.
Green mucus means that the infection is a bit stronger. The green coloring means that lots of white blood cells have been working overtime to fight the infection. The infection will eventually go away, but if your snot is still showing up green after 10-12 days, call your doctor.
Red or pink snot means blood, but don’t be alarmed. Blood in the mucus is most often caused by irritation and dryness in and of the nasal tissues. As long as it’s a small amount of blood or pinkness in mucus, it’s not something to worry about, but – if the bleeding persists, or is resistant to applied pressure, please contact your healthcare provider.
Brown snot is likely a sign that you had a cut in your nasal passage at some point that has since healed. Dried blood usually shows up as brown, so your mucus is likely just mixed with old blood.
Black snot can mean a few different things. People who smoke will sometimes notice black snot because of the chemicals they inhale while smoking. Black snot can also appear if you’ve been working in an environment with dust or dirt. In that case, your body is just doing its job to get rid of whatever irritants made their way into your nose, and the mucus will clear out the dust, soot or dirt naturally. However, black snot can also mean a serious fungal infection. If the black snot doesn’t go away, talk to your health care provider right away.
