HOW DAILY LIFE SAVED MY ASS

 

I KNOW SO MANY OF US ARE DEALING WITH SO MANY ISSUES--SOME DIRE, SOME JUST PLAIN ANNOYING. IN THE DIRE CATEGORY I INCLUDE: TRUMP REFUSING TO ACTIVATE THE TRANSITION OF BIDEN/HARRIS. ON THE ANNOYING SIDE I INCLUDE MY WISH THAT TRUMP HAD HAD A DOG. ON THE DIRE SIDE I MENTION MY NEW, WET MACULAR DEGENERATION IN LEFT EYE AND SOME LOSS OF VISION. IN THE ANNOYING CATEGORY I INCLUDE OUR AGED JACK RUSSELL TERRIER WITH A BRAIN TUMOR WHO NOW IS SATURATING SELECTED PORTIONS OF OUR LIVING ROOM RUG. IN THE DIRE CATEGORY I INCLUDE A HUGE VIRUS SPIKE ACROSS OUR COUNTRY, EVEN IN OUR WONDERFUL WESTERN MASS.

 WE CAN LIVE WITH ALL OF THESE. RIGHT? EVEN WHILE MY NERVOUS TIC CONTINUES--ALBEIT LESS--DUE TO TRUMP STRESS, I AM SO HOPEFUL ABOUT BIDEN AND HARRIS. HE HAS ASSEMBLED A WONDERFUL CREW OF SCIENTISTS AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO COPE WITH THE COVID-19 VIRUS.  HE HAS RAISED THE REFUGEE CAP FROM 15,000 TO 125,000. THIS IS HUGE, PLUS REJOINING THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD. SO MANY GOOD THINGS WILL BE HAPPENING ONCE THEY ARE IN, INCLUDING BETSY DEVOS DEPARTING, AND TRUMP'S VAMPIRE CHILDREN. JARED CAN GO BACK TO BEING A SLUM LANDLORD.

 ALL DURING THE MONTHS OF THIS LAST HARD YEAR, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS CONTINUED TO ANCHOR ME IS MY LIST OF DAILY RITUALS. BE PATIENT WITH ME WHILE I SHARE THEM:

--WAKE UP AT 5:45, PRAY FOR MY HOMIES FOR A HALF-HOUR, LAUNCH MYSELF OFF THE MEMORY FOAM MATTRESS AND MAKE BED FIRST THING, UNLESS I HAVE TO PEE TOO BADLY.

--RAISE SHADES IN BEDROOM, GO DOWNSTAIRS, LET DOG OUT.

--SET BIRD FEEDERS OUTSIDE ON THE FRONT DECK; MARVEL AT THE TINY, BRAVE CHICKADEE WHO LANDS ON THE FEEDER AS I AM LIFTING IT UP. SHE IS NO MORE AFRAID OF ME THAN I AM OF HER.

 

--RAISE SHADES IN DOWNSTAIRS; FEED THE DOG, REFRESH WATER. LET DOG OUT AGAIN.

--PUT ON WATER FOR TEA, USING THE NIFTY ELECTRIC KETTLE. WHY DID I EVER THINK BOILING WATER ON A GAS BURNER WAS A GOOD WAY TO GO? PUT 2 EARL GREY BERGAMOT TEA BAGS IN BIG CUP, 'CAUSE I LIKE REALLY STRONG TEA.

--LET DOG IN AGAIN, REWARD WITH TINY TREATS. PUT TOAST IN TOASTER, OR IF WARMING MY CRAZY-DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CHUNK, COCONUT BANANA BREAD, PUT THAT OUT WITH ORANGE MARMALADE. UTTER DELICIOUSNESS.

--SIT AND EAT. CROSS MYSELF FIRST, EVEN THOUGH I AM PRETTY SURE I AM LEAVING THE CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR GOOD NOW. (HMM, WHY? BISHOPS & PRIESTS TELLING PARISHIONERS VOTING FOR BIDEN WAS A "SIN." OUR PARISH SAYING THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS NOW WAS TO OVERTURN ROE VS WADE. REALLY? YA THINK THAT WILL STOP ABORTIONS? I HAVE NEWS FOR YOU. DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTS LOWER THE RATE OF ABORTIONS MORE THAN ANYTHING. OH, YEAH, CODDLING ABUSERS LIKE MCCARRICK, THE WHOLE SYSTEM OF CLERICALISM ENABLING THIS.)

 

--WATCH BIRDS, MARVEL AT THE NUTHATCHES. THANK GOD FOR BIRDS. THEY KEEP ME SANE.

--RUN WATER ON DISHES IN SINK. WALK 20 LAPS AROUND DOWNSTAIRS, TAKE PILLS, THEN WARM THE REMAINING CUP OF TEA. SIT WITH IT ON COUCH & READ SCRIPTURE.

--WRITE DOWN VERSE I LIKE IN MY JOURNAL (USUALLY FROM PSALMS), ASK GOD FOR THINGS TO HELP ME WITH (AMAZON ADDICTION, LACK OF FRUGALITY), WRITE DOWN THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR, AND A LIST OF PEOPLE TO LIFT IN PRAYER. IT SEEMS TO GET LONGER WITH EVERY PASSING DAY.

--PUT ON GLASSES WITH EYE PATCH OVER LEFT, TO KEEP IT FROM GETTING TIRED. 

 

 

OPEN SOCIAL MEDIA, SCROLL THROUGH HEADLINES OF NY TIMES, READ HENRI NOUWEN'S MEDITATION FOR THE DAY, AND GO TO FACEBOOK, DESPITE MY EXTREME DISLIKE OF MARK Z. DELETE ANY COMMENTS ON CATHOLIC POSTS I HAVE LEFT MESSAGES ON--IN FACT DELETE ALL OF MY CATHOLIC FEEDS. YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW ACRIMONIOUS, VICIOUS, AND ANGRY CATHOLIC COMMENTS CAN BE.

--LET DOG OUT AGAIN. CHECK FOR PEE PATCHES ON RUG. FIND ONE, SERIOUSLY WET. ELEVATE WITH A BRICK AND TURN ON A HEATER IN FRONT TO DRY IT OUT. THINK ABOUT INVESTING IN DOGGY PEE-PADS. DIAPERS WOULD NOT WORK ON A JACK.

--RICK COMES DOWNSTAIRS FOR BREAKFAST, WE WAVE/KISS AND I LEAVE HIM TO HIS BREAKFAST AS HE EATS MUFFIN AND TEA AND READS AUGUST ISSUE OF THE NEW YORKER.

--ONCE DONE, HE SITS NEARBY AND WE EXCHANGE THE NEWS OF THE DAY, SOMETIMES HOLDING UP OUR IPADS TO SHARE FUNNY POSTS AND PET VIDEOS. ALL OF THESE RITUALS GROUND ME IN TIME; THEY TETHER ME TO THE DAY. THEN, FULL OF OUR SHARED LOVE, SCRIPTURE, GOOD FOOD, AND BIRD-WATCHING,  I GO UPSTAIRS TO EXERCISE FOR 30 MIN. TO A DVD, WHICH KEEPS ME LIMBER AND SLIM.

WHAT ARE YOUR RITUALS? DO YOU READ, ACTUALLY READ, THE NEWS IN THE MORNING BEFORE YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE? WHAT GROUNDS YOU? WHAT GIVES YOU HOPE?

A FEW SUGGESTIONS TO HELP TETHER YOU IN TIME:

--KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL.

--WATCH BIRDS, MAYBE JOIN THE JANUARY BIRD COUNT.

--PRAY FOR PEOPLE YOU KNOW WHO NEED IT.

--GIVE MONEY TO CANDIDATES IN GEORGIA, TO MERCY CORPS, AND ANY OTHER PLACES YOU FIND WHO ARE GETTING HAMMERED BY HURRICANES.

--BRUSH YOUR DOG'S TEETH OR YOUR CAT'S. (MY SON USES MAYONNAISE ON TOOTHBRUSH TO DO HIS CAT'S TEETH. JUST A HELPFUL HINT FROM ANNIE.)

--CONSIDER DIPPING YOUR TOES INTO CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER, A LA THOMAS KEATING. I FIND I AM TOO RESTLESS AND ADD FOR THIS, BUT IT IS A GOOD IDEA, THEY TELL ME.

--HUG YOUR HONIES, WHOMEVER THEY ARE.

AND KNOW THAT WE WILL SURVIVE THIS TIME, DESPITE THE HORROR OF THE GOP, DESPITE OUR WORRIES ABOUT THE ARCTIC WILDLIFE REFUGE, DESPITE OUR YEARNING TO SEE OUR GROWN KIDS THIS THANKSGIVING. WE WILL BE HERE AFTER THE MORAL ABOMINATIONS DEPART FOR THEIR HELLHOLES.