My friend, who’s a mindfulness professional, was telling me that one of her resource books list the top seven sources of stress as (in no particular order): Getting married or divorced Chronic or serious illness Moving Changing or losing a job Going to prison Death of a loved one Significant financial obligations It struck me that one of these stands out from the others: prison. Unlike the others, going to prison equals a loss of freedom. Unlike the others, you don’t get much say in going to prison (after you made the decision to do whatever it is that…
Mask protection conversion
Our local grocery store recently changed it’s mask policy. If you have been vaccinated, you don’t need to wear a mask. I am not vaccinated, nor will I be. So naturally, I was excited to get back to entering the grocery store with no mask on. The residents of the Pacific Northwest did not disappoint. I’ve been in that grocery store five times since they changed their policy. Each time, I was the only person in the store without a mask on. There’s no way to know this, but given the anecdotal evidence and sensibilities (such as they are)…
Things you shouldn’t do on social media
It’s no secret historians are going to identify social media as the key catalyst for the downfall of humanity (unless, of course, the historians are simply social media employees). One of the many reasons they’ll draw this conclusion is because social media has leveled the playing field between important friends and barely acquaintances. Similarly, our usage of social media has equated the death of a loved one with a poorly-photographed plate of food. People take to social media for to share thoughts or news ranging from waking up to a plate of eggs to the birth of a first…
Did you get your flu shot?
Since when is getting a flu shot so cool? I can’t remember a time when everyone talked with such pride about getting their flu shot. No one talked about it. No one cared. It was just one of those things we took for granted was out there and available. But it seems like every other conversation I hear or am part of includes someone talking about getting their COVID vaccine: Did you get it? Which one are you on? Which brand? How was your reaction to the first one? How was your reaction to the second one? What symptoms…
Masks are the new floss pick
Every day I go for one, if not two walks, and every day, I see discarded masks littering the streets and trails. Masks are the new floss pick, which were the new cigarette butts. Back when smoking was more popular and less dangerous, it was fairly common to see cigarette butts littering the streets and walkways. That waned as people started to give it up. So, we replaced it with floss picks. When floss picks arrived on the scene, people were discarding those on the streets left and right. You couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting one. But…
Who would you rather have in charge?
Leftists have an unquenchable thirst for power. They always have. It’s the nature of their personality. Leftists aren’t content to let people make the choices they think best for them. They’re not happy to leave things to chance. Leftists aren’t comfortable not knowing what people will do when left to their own devices. To get the power they crave, they’ll aggressively go to any lengths necessary. They’ll demonize half the country. They’ll destroy people’s lives. They’ll pit friends, genders, races, and even family members against each other. Anything it takes to win power and take control of the country….
Why do some people want others to experience pain?
I’ve lived an extraordinary and exciting life. When the inevitable last days arrives, I feel pretty prepared to look back at a full life, generally satisfied with what I did with it. Sure, there are regrets, and a few things I’d do differently. But I’ve had no shortage of experiences, and have learned quite a bit, along the way. One thing I’ve observed throughout the course of my life, certainly more that I would have hoped or expected, is the number of people who’ve looked at my life and hoped that I would experience some the pain and suffering…
BIPOC is the new n*gg*r
When n*gg*r, or “the N-word” first appeared, it was used to describe black people. (The root word, “niger” is the Latin word for black.) There’s some debate about how derogatory it was intended at first, but it certainly ended that way before becoming a word not said. But the connotations of the word now live on in words and acronyms like BIPOC, or “black, indigenous, and people of color.” Either word, on its face, simply describes one’s physical characteristics. They’re basically talking about skin color. However, whereas “n*gg*r” speaks specifically about black people, BIPOC encompasses a wider demographic –…
If you can’t beat ’em…
What would happen if conservatives simply decided to join Antifa. Sure, the whole destruction, assault and battery, and getting in everyone’s faces things is pretty opposed to what most conservatives believe, but the ultimate target of Antifa isn’t far off. Antifa is after the powerful. Sometimes they get mixed in with Black Lives Matter activists, and that makes them seem pretty pro-communism. But if their really going to own their name – Anti-fascism – then how about conservatives join the movement, in mass numbers, and make them truly own it. Why don’t conservatives, who are also anti-fascism, join the…
The myth of the federal government
Thanks to poor (or sinister) leftist public school education, we’ve finally reached the tipping point when the majority of this country’s citizens no longer have a proper understanding of what the federal government truly is. Too many believe that we were all meant to be governed by the federal government. That the federal government was meant to enact laws, or sign dictatorial executive orders, that would apply to all of us. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. In our republic, the states were intended to have the bulk of the power. State’s rights. This is the idea that…