Hello again, my wonderful readers.
I have rarely spoken of where I live, but today, I feel I must. You read correctly. I am in Kirkland, Washington, the site of the COVID-19, or novel Coronavirus, outbreak. I've decided to tell you all about what life is like right now in a suburb of Seattle that is now on the international stage.
I live a few short miles away from the Life Care Center, and you'd think that would mean nothing changes. Well, things have changed. The first and perhaps biggest change for me is in my career. As some of you know, I am a preschool teacher. Over the past couple of weeks, I watched as my students coming to school dropped by half and gradually to a quarter of the class roster. Over in the older class, attendance dropped by a similar rate. This past Monday, only one child showed up to class. It was that day that we decided to close down until April 13th, if we're lucky. I understand why it had to be this way, but... I miss my kids.
The second thing I've noticed is that traffic is way down. If you live in the Seattle area, you'd know that for a few years now, traffic has been awful. Our elected officials, including Governor Inslee, came up with the "brilliant" idea to toll certain corridors of I-405, but that only served to make traffic worse. But in the last month, with the tech companies having their people work from home, traffic has returned to levels I haven't seen since I was a little girl.
The third, and perhaps most disturbing thing I've noticed is how quiet things are. Even after 9/11, it wasn't this quiet. The only places that are busy are grocery stores and pharmacies. It's...unsettling. I wandered my favorite mall on Tuesday before it closed for two weeks. I felt like I had crossed over into a sci-fi horror film after the Apocalypse.
If this posting is something you'd like to continue seeing, please let me know. These are my observations for now. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Sunday, October 28, 2018
The Political Scene and Slogans...
Hello again, dear friends!
It's been a long time since I last posted for this blog, isn't it? Well, today I'd like to talk about a topic that is presently driving me crazy. I'd like to talk about our political scene and things that drive me insane.
Let's begin with the current political scene. In my life, I've seen politics get really ugly, but within the past decade and the past, oh, two years or so particularly, it's worse than I've ever seen it. I used to be a little bit right of center. However, recent events have pulled me to the middle by US standards. I cannot be a Democrat or a Republican. I watch party members squabble like small children over a favorite toy in the class and it sickens me. I want the US back to people looking at other people with interested curiosity, not hateful suspicion.
I also want to talk about the use of slogans that are quoted somewhat mindlessly. When you say a particular slogan, what does it mean to you? What could it mean to another person? I want you to think carefully before you answer. What is a slogan you've heard that sounds good when someone says it, but could be bad if looked at in another way?
It's been a long time since I last posted for this blog, isn't it? Well, today I'd like to talk about a topic that is presently driving me crazy. I'd like to talk about our political scene and things that drive me insane.
Let's begin with the current political scene. In my life, I've seen politics get really ugly, but within the past decade and the past, oh, two years or so particularly, it's worse than I've ever seen it. I used to be a little bit right of center. However, recent events have pulled me to the middle by US standards. I cannot be a Democrat or a Republican. I watch party members squabble like small children over a favorite toy in the class and it sickens me. I want the US back to people looking at other people with interested curiosity, not hateful suspicion.
I also want to talk about the use of slogans that are quoted somewhat mindlessly. When you say a particular slogan, what does it mean to you? What could it mean to another person? I want you to think carefully before you answer. What is a slogan you've heard that sounds good when someone says it, but could be bad if looked at in another way?
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Recommended TV Series
Wow, a second post in a day! This isn't part of my "Spiritual Journey" series, but I needed to post about a show I've fallen in love with. This show is Steven Universe.
Steven Universe, for those of you who don't know, is the story of a boy named Steven. He is the child of a human father and a mother who is... well, it's complicated. Steven's mom, Rose Quartz, is part of an alien race known as Gems. The Gems in their original forms are literally gems. However, at some time in their evolution, the gems gained the ability to project a solid humanoid form. For some reason, the Gems' chosen form is that of human women, albeit with skin color across a wider spectrum than Homo Sapiens.
But back to Steven. In order for Steven to exist, his mother had to give up her solid form and her gem to her son. So Steven has grown up with his father and his mother's Gem friends (one of them who would've loved to be more than a friend) taking care of him and helping him understand both sides of his heritage. He isn't forced to choose one side or the other; he has to be himself.
Steven Universe isn't your typical series on Cartoon Network. It deals with topics like grief and what love really should be. We see examples of healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships. We see how someone's good intentions don't always turn out right. We also see how sometimes those who care for us don't always make the best choices. And for those reasons, I highly recommend Steven Universe.
Steven Universe, for those of you who don't know, is the story of a boy named Steven. He is the child of a human father and a mother who is... well, it's complicated. Steven's mom, Rose Quartz, is part of an alien race known as Gems. The Gems in their original forms are literally gems. However, at some time in their evolution, the gems gained the ability to project a solid humanoid form. For some reason, the Gems' chosen form is that of human women, albeit with skin color across a wider spectrum than Homo Sapiens.
But back to Steven. In order for Steven to exist, his mother had to give up her solid form and her gem to her son. So Steven has grown up with his father and his mother's Gem friends (one of them who would've loved to be more than a friend) taking care of him and helping him understand both sides of his heritage. He isn't forced to choose one side or the other; he has to be himself.
Steven Universe isn't your typical series on Cartoon Network. It deals with topics like grief and what love really should be. We see examples of healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships. We see how someone's good intentions don't always turn out right. We also see how sometimes those who care for us don't always make the best choices. And for those reasons, I highly recommend Steven Universe.
The Spiritual Journey, Continued...
How does one deal with the world when it seems to be coming apart? This is a question that's been stumping philosophers for millennia, I'm sure. Some religions speak of change as a constant. I know it's true that life is made of constant change. But I do find myself wishing more often that I could stop time. Life's just changed too much for my liking lately. I have to be okay with that feeling.
Friday, April 15, 2016
Life and Death, a Reflection...
Hello again, dear readers.
For those of you who know me off this blog, you already know. On Monday, April 11th, my mother died. She had been suffering for a long time from a disease that took her from us piece by piece. It was not Alzheimer's, but something called White Matter Disease coupled with microvascular disease and hardening of the arteries. For more than eight years, I watched as my mother became more paranoid, lost her eyesight and mobility and her memory. By the time everything ended, Mom hadn't been able to speak for almost a year and couldn't let us know her thoughts or feelings.
It's been four days since my mother's soul moved on from this world and I can't quite make sense of it all. I'm planning to go to counseling for a while because I need to be sure I make peace with what's happened. I know that there was nothing anyone ultimately could have done to prevent this from happening, but I wish I still had my mom, happy and healthy.
For those of you who know me off this blog, you already know. On Monday, April 11th, my mother died. She had been suffering for a long time from a disease that took her from us piece by piece. It was not Alzheimer's, but something called White Matter Disease coupled with microvascular disease and hardening of the arteries. For more than eight years, I watched as my mother became more paranoid, lost her eyesight and mobility and her memory. By the time everything ended, Mom hadn't been able to speak for almost a year and couldn't let us know her thoughts or feelings.
It's been four days since my mother's soul moved on from this world and I can't quite make sense of it all. I'm planning to go to counseling for a while because I need to be sure I make peace with what's happened. I know that there was nothing anyone ultimately could have done to prevent this from happening, but I wish I still had my mom, happy and healthy.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
A break from the spiritual: A possible definition of "Frozen's" Elsa
Hello again, dear readers!
I am taking a break from the spiritual journey posts to talk about a flash of insight I had regarding "Let It Go," the song from Disney's Frozen.
Elsa's journey has been considered like coming out in the gay community. However, I can offer another possible meaning. Throughout history, women have been pushing their emotions and opinions down within themselves in order to fit in, deal with other people and even deal with the chaos around them. I realized how often I did that and also saw that even while singing in triumph, Elsa was still running away from what was.
The King and Queen were, out of love, attempting to protect their elder daughter, as parents do when they want to help their child fit in and be good. But as sometimes happens in real life, that backfired. Elsa pulled in to the point that she shut out everyone, including her parents and her little sister. And when her parents died, Elsa felt like she had to keep the secret of her gifts, having been trained to see them as a curse. Only when she was truly honest with her sister and embraced something that she really loved to do was Elsa truly free.
I am taking a break from the spiritual journey posts to talk about a flash of insight I had regarding "Let It Go," the song from Disney's Frozen.
Elsa's journey has been considered like coming out in the gay community. However, I can offer another possible meaning. Throughout history, women have been pushing their emotions and opinions down within themselves in order to fit in, deal with other people and even deal with the chaos around them. I realized how often I did that and also saw that even while singing in triumph, Elsa was still running away from what was.
The King and Queen were, out of love, attempting to protect their elder daughter, as parents do when they want to help their child fit in and be good. But as sometimes happens in real life, that backfired. Elsa pulled in to the point that she shut out everyone, including her parents and her little sister. And when her parents died, Elsa felt like she had to keep the secret of her gifts, having been trained to see them as a curse. Only when she was truly honest with her sister and embraced something that she really loved to do was Elsa truly free.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Spiritual Journey Part XI: Thanksgiving
Hello again, viewers. It's been several months since I posted to this blog and considering the holiday I'm about to celebrate, I'd like to talk about giving thanks.
There are things, big and small, that we can be thankful for. I won't go into too much, but I am very thankful for many things this year. Be thankful when you find the good.
There are things, big and small, that we can be thankful for. I won't go into too much, but I am very thankful for many things this year. Be thankful when you find the good.
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