Small Things Count

Now that the election is done, let’s calm down and move on.  Some of the people and issues I wanted in or out made it; some didn’t.  I’ll just put on my Pollyanna mask and reassure myself that, for this speck of time in the continuum, we voted in our own best interests as a nation.  I encourage this positive attitude for everyone.  I also encourage you to pray, think strong good thoughts, send good vibes, sacrifice goat feathers–or use whatever else is your positive mojo–that our elected officials will govern us with fairness, compassion, and reason.

Our food supply is in danger because of the climate crisis. It can get harder and harder to get to it or even grow food that’s actually nutritious. What are the threats, and what can be done about this life-threatening problem?

Download CLIMATE-SMART COOKING AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD.

As I look around me at the increase in violence, bigotry, rumor-spreading, and other non-Golden-Rule actions, I see the reason this virus is spreading:

As people sit in line for hours to get tested for Covid-19 before Thanksgiving gatherings, health authorities are warning that it’s too late. You need to have done the test 14 days before Thanksgiving, then isolated yourself up to that holiday gathering. That’s because the virus can take 14 days to show signs. And you can test negative one day, go shopping, dining, or visiting, and catch the virus while doing so. But even testing again won’t assure your safety and that of your loved ones because of those vital 14 days.

Still, people are swamping the testing sites, overtaxing them and using up supplies in the false belief that a negative test will protect parents, grandparents, kids, and others people at their Thanksgiving gatherings.

If you are getting together with loved ones for Turkey Day, please, please gather outside or in a well-ventilated area (open those windows!), sit at least 6 feet apart, wear masks unless actually eating, and make sure everyone washes their hands thoroughly before eating.

I really want you and your loved one to stay safe.

Does someone at work love to make people around him miserable?  If you feel that way, most likely you aren’t alone. The Workplace Bully never heard of, nor does he care about, the dignity all workers are entitled to.  Confront him, not with a solid punch to the jaw but with a calm request for him to be more reasonable.  Tell him plainly that he makes you feel uncomfortable or humiliated; explain why specific demands he makes on you are excessive.  If you do this in front of others, you minimize the chance of verbal warfare and, at the same time, embolden co-workers who have been suffering silently.  Join with them, in a sort of support group, one that doesn’t feed each other’s anger but keeps you from feeling isolated and helps you find ways to counteract the bully’s actions that don’t turn you into a bully.  Soon your lagging self-respect will return.  Together you’ll make your job site the fulfilling, safe environment you deserve to work in.

Family called her “Ruth,” but to the rest of us she was “RBG.” Why are so many people mourning the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg? Today’s Thursday Thought quote shows her wisdom–how much she understood justice and humanity’s hope.

Today, there’s something I share with far too many people…missing my own veteran and praying for an end to deadly conflicts.

Today I’m feeling more hopeful than I have for a long time. Words of positivity are coming from our new administration, news commentators, pulpits, social media, and the person on the street. Those words are so strong that they’re starting to drown out the negative rhetoric, division, animosity, and attacks on each other. Is America turning around to embrace each other again? Are we ready to unite, reason together, and compromise for the common good? I hope so. No, I think so. And that feels GOOD!

In modern history, every American President has used the greeting, “My fellow Americans…” in his inauguration speech. No matter who uses it on Jan. 20, 2001, let’s put the viciousness, cruelty, violence, and division resulting from our current political campaigns behind us and remember that, together, united as Fellow Americans, we can banish all that, roll up our sleeves, and peacefully, respectfully, work to return our beloved country to it’s ideals and promises set forth in our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the inscription on our Statue of Liberty.