"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Sunday Salon -- I am holding my head up


Weather: Rain. Pure and simple, it is raining outside. This past week, you may have heard of it on the news wherever you live, our region experienced a 'bomb cyclone.' Look it up. It is a real thing. It is like the equivalent of a cold water hurricane. It drags winds from the east into it and so the prevailing winds alter dramatically and trees and power lines topple to the ground. Our town was spared, thanks to Mt. Rainier. We live in her shadow and she nicely diverted the wind to the north or the south of us. That meant that places like Seattle and Bellevue (north) and Olympia (south) had a much worst impact than us. Whew!

Twitter (X) out, BlueSky in! I canceled my account on Twitter (X) and started an account on BlueSky. My handle is: @Headfullofbooks.  Twitter became too toxic for me with Elon Musk at the helm. BlueSky seems like it is a safer place for people like me who are still smarting from the election results. Follow the link to learn more, if you are interested.

Tipping my toe back into the political water as a resister: This week my book club discussed the book The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (My review is set to post on Nov. 29th) which is a novel about the wives of Nazi resisters during and after WWII. The parallels between Nazis in Germany and Trump's MAGA movement was hard to miss. To a person, every woman in the club discussion mentioned it, often without even mentioning Trump's name. I decided right then and there that I am going to be a resister. I have to stand up for what is right even if it is hard or maybe even dangerous.

Join me? What can we do:
  1. Take care of yourself.
  2. Let go of things you cannot change. 
  3. Support people and organizations who are able to make a difference. Like the ACLU.
  4. Fascism thrives on fear and isolation and despair. Fight that. Spread love.
  5. Find a local group to connect with like-minded people. Meet in person. We need each other.
  6. Limit your news consumption. 
  7. Engage in small acts of resistance: Resistance doesn’t always have to be grand or overt. Small acts—such as supporting independent media, sharing truthful information, using art to critique power, or preserving banned cultural practices—can weaken autocratic power and inspire others to act.
  8. Reach out to others who are more vulnerable than you. Ask how you can help.
  9. Don't succumb to to cynicism or distrust.
  10. Always tell the truth in kindness, and call out your own people when you hear lies or rude comments. We can't change them but we can change us!    (DKos)


Since my last Sunday post about self care: I have had many, many, many conversations with other women who are hurting just as much as I am about the election results and what we see happening already with the Trump cabinet appointees. Every conversation I've had has actually helped  and supported me. I encourage you to do the same. Seek others who are understanding and like-minded. Hold each other up!

Books. Books. Books: As I'm still limiting my news/opinion consumption, I have been busy reading and blogging these past two weeks---
Thanksgiving: We are heading south to Eugene, Oregon for a family Thanksgiving reunion, of sorts. I am looking forward to some solid family time!




-Anne
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