It's really only been a week....

Today is the 3rd day of the 5th week, the 28th day of the 1st month, the 28th day of 2025 [with only 330 shopping days until Christmas], and:

• AFRMA Fancy Rat & Mouse Day
• Daisy Day
• Data Privacy Day
• Global Community Engagement Day
• International LEGO Day
• National Blueberry Pancake Day
• National Gift of the Ladybug Day
• National Kazoo Day
• National Pediatrician Day
• National Plan for Vacation Day
• Pop Art Day
• Rattlesnake Roundup Day
• Rubber Duckie Day - well it is Ernie's birthday....
• Speak Up and Succeed Day
• Thank a Plugin Developer Day
• the waning crescent moon 1% of full [tomorrow is the new moon at 7:36 AM]
• and Voyager 1 is ~23h 04m 26s of light travel time from Earth

Quote of the day:

"Predication is very difficult, especially if it's about the future."

~ Niels Bohr - Danish physicist and Nobel Prize winner for his work with atomic structure and quantum theory.  

 Even though this is not a political blog, I have to acknowledge that the firehose that has been blasting for this past week has impacted the health and wellbeing of everyone.  The only people that are happy are the ones that think Project 2025 is a good idea, and and the cult of the strong man.  

By the way, for those of you who need a refresher course in American history, McKinley is not rated as the worst president, but he was a product of the Gilded Age, when robber barons [who considered themselves above any laws, a superior and entitled class] ruled the country as politicians were for sale, and the rest of the population was treated like serfs and fodder for their imperialist expansion plans. 

I mean, I could be wrong, but I really don't think most of us are on board with changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico or renaming Mt. Denali, or going to war over Greenland and the Panama Canal, or annexing Canada, or repealing the 22nd amendment, or adding to Mt Rushmore.   And now we are all in the midst of one of the longest, saddest "I told you so"s in history.    

This week aside, January has not been an auspicious start for the new year.  

Our family is wrestling with many issues:  relationship, health [physical and mental], economic.   Unfortunately for me, most of these problems are not within my control, and many are outside of my influence, which leads to some very restless nights as I try to think of ways to impact the outcomes I see rushing towards us.  

In short, whether it be about family or country, the universe is giving me some tough lessons on what I can and cannot do, and these lessons are always pretty hard to swallow when you see loved ones suffering.  I have to accept that I cannot heal anyone.  I cannot get anyone to actually reconsider their course of action, no matter what I say.  I cannot take away anyone's worry or anguish and replace it with calm.

So I am working on myself, keeping myself on an even keel, since that IS in the circle of my control.  Playing peaceful music in the background.  Keeping my apartment tidy [with a huge assist from my cleaning lady who comes every other Tuesday], but not so tidy that it doesn't feel like home.  Minding my health - taking the meds, going to the doc when needed.   Getting enough sleep - altho this is a bit of a challenge when one's brain lacks an off switch.  Eating sensibly.  Moving around and getting some exercise.  And being there for kids, family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and others as much as possible.

As the saying goes, if we all sweep our own doorstep, soon the whole world will be clean, so at least I have gotten started.