I couldn’t decide what I wanted for my birthday today, so I got it all.
Category: Ramblings Page 2 of 14
It’s been a hard year for me in relation to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I’ve written about my personal feelings several times and I don’t really want to rehash any of it right now.
Today is a hard day. The Dobbs decision fucked over so many people. Others have been working hard trying to keep up with the seemingly never-ending changes and bans. I’m not going to try to redo what so many others are doing better, but I will link below some good resources to keep up with what’s going on. I am grateful to everyone who is on the front line keeping track of all of these changes, so the rest of us can be informed and take action.
A robin rests on a fence post at the Scotts Bluff County Fairgrounds.
On October 28, 2013, Steve Frederick gave me the opportunity to prove I could write. As the editor of the Scottsbluff Star-Herald, he told me on my first day, “I can’t teach you how to write, you already know how to do that, but I can teach you to be a reporter.”
For nearly six years, that’s what I did. I learned about my adopted home of Scottsbluff and all of western Nebraska. I found cool stories to tell and suffered through countless boring meetings, so I could go out and tell more cool stories.
I wanted to share two videos from Seth Andrews, which speak to the terrible turn this country has taken. Both are insightful and thoughtful. I hope you take the time to listen and ponder what is being said.
I am currently dealing with my sixth health insurance company in four years and my eleventh since 2007 when I moved to Scottsbluff, Nebraska. None of these changes were of my doing. My employers decided to change companies. Each change was touted as something better for the employee, but, looking under the hood, as usual, it benefits the company more than the individual.
That’s right. We cut our bagels on the counter.
My mother taught me many life skills, most of which, I never knew I was learning, but there’s one skill I put to use every year.
When people work through traumatic events, their brains process what has happened so the person can begin healing from those events. While they are healing, the brain brings up intrusive thoughts, such as flashbacks and nightmares. The natural tendency is to push those intrusive thoughts away because they can be highly distressing. The brain’s ability to do this can be used to the person’s benefit, so that the intrusive thoughts and distress can be safely “contained” until the person is in a better situation to handle them.
Along the Oregon Trail in western Scotts Bluff County.
The world feels different at night when all the people and bullshit go to rest. I am alone with my thoughts and can feel comfortable being me. I don’t need to deflect from the constant intrusion of christianity upon my life. I don’t have to hear empty platitudes of misguided people who think they understand everything about everyone and dole out insincere phrases which only make them feel better.
At night, I listen to the sound of the coal cars rumbling through town and the wind blowing, gently shaking my windows and the trees. This time is mine. I have no obligation to be doing anything. I read. I write. I breathe.
A few days ago, I was taking a break from writing and came across a post on Reddit. It has lingered in my mind for several days. User DmitriyBragin shared five before and after photos of what the war has done to his home in a post titled, “My hometown Kharkov in Ukraine 2022-2022.”
Note: For some reason, the video works for some folks, but not others. Here is the direct link to the video on YouTube.
Today was World Mental Health Day. I spent it by taking the day off and doing things for my own mental health. This included watching some videos and a little bit of writing, but mostly just thinking and reflecting on life and how to get a better balance on the many things that intersect with my mind and my personal life from day-to-day.
The video above would have never been made 20 years ago. In that sense, the world has come a long way in being open about mental health. The drivers have some good things to say as well. We still have so much farther to go, but this is a good first step.