In Facebook Jail for Meme Two Years Ago

 Yes, Facebook put me in jail for three days because I shared a memory post from almost two years ago. It was okay then, but now much later, it is not?

"...I feel like I should wear a hat."

 

My new pixie cut!

"Sometimes the shit comes down so heavy I feel like I should wear a hat."                        - Ned Racine in "Body Heat"

I feel that way lately. From COVID to inflation, to voting rights, to a woman's right to choose (thanks a lot, "Extreme Court), to climate change, to the "big lie" and the willfully ignorant far right, to the war in Ukraine, I've had it. So easy it would be to turn my brain off, teach my classes on autopilot, and spend my nights dancing at Curves Cabaret or cruising the bar at the historic Hacienda del Sol.

But, I won't give up, or give in, or shrug off the hell of today's utterly polarized and dysfunctional state. I'll keep hitting myself over my head with the hammer of hope that we'll fix the mess our country has become because it will feel so good when I finally get to stop. Yes, I am one of those hard-core optimists who join groups, attend rallies, and contribute to Democrats when I can. I subscribe to the notion that the mainstream GOP has become evil and must be exorcised or put to death.

So I have to balance my life as best I can. For everything that drags my mind and heart down towards the heavy wet blanket of depression, I have to find options that are equal to and opposite the negatives.

So, I am weaving a hat against the rain of shit. Here is how I am doing it.

I jog or walk at least 3 miles after rolling out of bed, early, before the summer heat makes this impossible. Then I shower and listen to music on my waterproof smart speaker. Often, I raise my spirits by singing at the top of my lungs while enjoying the feminine benefits of a powerful shower massage. Next, instead of dressing and reading the newspaper or listening to NPR, I putter about the kitchen naked fixing a light breakfast and mixing sweet ice coffees. If I have the time, I read a few pages of whatever book I am reading with a second coffee.

With exercise, a shower, an orgasm, breakfast, and coffee, I am ready to get dressed and face the day. If the day is one where I work from home, I toss on my home uniform: tank or t-shirt and light cotton shorts (no underwear necessary), and flip-flops. I'd go barefoot, but we do have scorpions about this time of year. If I am going to campus, running errands, or will otherwise be in public, I put on real clothes that are normally appropriate. If I am feeling naughty (my shy exhibitionist way) I will dress to tease: mini skirt or dress, short shorts, open or see-through top, strappy, sexy sandals. Either at home or out, wearing outfits that make me smile, make me feel sexy, or even aroused, contribute to my "hat."

Essentially, I avoid the negative and tend to things that make me happy before I go anywhere near the news of the day. Once I've had a halcyon morning ignoring the current day-to-day hell, I can glance at the newspaper or online news, but not cable. The exception recently has been the January 6th Committee hearings. I allowed myself to watch that.

If I find myself growing negative or angry, I try to change gears and do something that fights the good fight as I mentioned above, supporting a group, a movement, or a candidate that can make things better.

Yes, I watch the evening news. Ugh. I know it is usually negative, but sometimes, there is good news. With luck, I've experienced enough "good" during the day to offset nightly news.

Evenings, when I am not at home alone reading or enjoying a movie, I spend with people of like mind, those friends or lovers who swim, dine, listen to music, watch movies, go to the theatre, a concert, or even dance! All of these activities make my heart happy and quite often allow me to show off, be naughty, and even be a bit promiscuous.

It's all part of weaving the "hat."