by Deanna
I rarely voice my opinions on controversial subjects on social media ie; Facebook or my personal blog, or here in this space. But I gotta admit that lately I have been feeling somewhat off-centered, unbalanced, stressful and downright embarrassed by the circumstances that have flooded the news in the past few months centered around our Land of Liberty. Some, in my opinion, have taken this liberty that we have been granted by our founding fathers way over the boundaries of it's intent. The horrendous shootings of blacks, along with the shootings of whites, the anger, the riots, the prejudices, the gun laws that need serious modifications all bundled together have created a country that has been placed on the "watch list" for foreign travelers. Seriously! the USA has reached that level, our land of the free, home of the brave. Our great land of opportunity is broken. What a sad, sad state of affairs.
I am not even going to mention our two candidates for the President of the United States. You may be a staunch Republican or a firm Democrat, but honestly voting this year weighs heavily on my heart. Some of you may have seen the cartoon on Facebook yesterday that depicted a man and a woman walking, the woman turns to the man and says, "My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane." For those of you that have CNN or Fox News on from morning until night must be totally crazed. Do yourself a favor....turn off the TV! Listen to music, read a book, take a walk, ride a bike, do breathing exercises, hug your children. Yes, we need to be informed but not to the point of causing serious damage to our soundness of judgement.
I read an article in Real Simple magazine the other day that truly spoke to me considering our "state of affairs" and my mental health... "Try a walking meditation, just walk slightly slower than your normal pace, but not so slow that anyone would notice. What makes it a meditation is that you are paying attention to the experience. As you move along really see what's in front of you, notice the sensation of your feet against the ground. If your mind strays, gently return it to the experience. Integrating mind and body with a conscious walk lets you cultivate concentration, engage your muscles, bring fresh air into your lungs, and take your brain off your worries. Take your time, you're not trying to go anywhere but inward." (excerpt from Cyndi Lee)
In closing, thank you for letting me air my thoughts. I don't have the answers but I truly believe that most all Americans hope and pray that we as a nation contend that working together we can bring dignity, decency, and distinction back to the United States. Pass it forward and God bless America.
"Though it may feel otherwise, enjoying life is no more dangerous than apprehending it with continuous anxiety and gloom." ~ Alain de Botton, writer