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GNR January 28 - Put On Your Own Mask First [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-28
Morning, Newsies 😊 Like most of you, I’ve been navigating my way through this dystopian period in our history with uneven success. It took me all week to get those holiday decorations down and put away, but I did it. I absolutely did put on Meidas Touch’s kitten/puppy inauguration last Monday and ignored all cable news (and most MSM news, tbh). I went to the theater with a friend on Tuesday night. I also knitted 3 hats and taught myself a new finishing technique, so yay for focusing on something creative and productive.
Put your own mask on first, before continuing the work — or in my case, ice your own ankle first.
(FYI my ankle is ok — just a sprain)
Then, on Saturday, while struggling to get all the boxes put away in my storage locker, I managed to put my foot through a box (yep, I was foolishly standing on it to reach up higher) and fell backwards (oops, but the foot stayed in the box- ouch!) in an avalanche of boxes. Lying there, seeing stars, on the cement floor in my building’s storage area, and wondering if I would be eventually discovered under a pile of holiday decorations, it occurred to me that no matter how well I think I am coping with the stress of incredible, awful reality, inevitably the emotional toll will manifest itself.
The moral of this story is that there is no way around experiencing these next few years. We are going to go through it. And whether or not we choose to engage in the work of building a better world — especially now that the going is getting very tough indeed — our minds and bodies are already engaged.
Because we live in this world.
We are in it and it is in us.
Some of us may try to tune out, but our minds and bodies know, and we will register the stress anyway. It’s important to acknowledge that and recognize that many other people are going through the same thing.
So, for today’s GNR, I would like to focus on recovering our mental and physical health before touching on some good news items. I recommend that we continue to take a little time to rebuild our hope and belief in ourselves and each other, but with the understanding that we know there is work to continue.
None of us wants to have to fight this fight, but like almost every generation that went before us, we have to do it anyway. For ourselves, for our children and for each other.
Don’t Dream It’s Over
… There is freedom within
There is freedom without
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead
Many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're travelling with me
… Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win …
Don’t let them win ... x x YouTube Video 🧠🔗🫀 How to Put Your Own Mask On 🫀🔗🧠 ❣️ Why Emotional Resilience Is a Trait You Can Develop, Elizabeth Scott, PhD, verywellmind, April 28, 2020. Those with a higher degree of emotional resilience can handle the stresses that come with daily life more effectively and calmly. They are also able to manage crises more easily. Fortunately, emotional resilience is a trait that can be developed. In fact, it's a trait that is worth developing for many reasons, not the least of which is that it can transform your life and your experience of stress.✂️ Emotional and physical resilience is, to a degree, something you're born with. Some people, by nature, are less upset by changes and surprises – this can be observed in infancy and tends to be stable throughout one’s lifetime. However, resilience can be developed with some effort and practice. If you know what to do, you can become more resilient, even if you are naturally more sensitive to life’s difficulties.✂️ ❣️ Laughter as Medicine: Humor Boosts Mental and Physical Health, Teri Barr, civic media, January 24, 2025. You’ve probably heard the saying, “laughter is the best medicine.” Experts believe humor can actually boost your mental and physical health. But what does that really mean? I talked with Charles LaTorre about the way such a simple act – laughter – can be so powerful. LaTorre is a mental health counselor at Bellin Health Psychiatric Center in Green Bay and tells me apart from exercise, there is little else that benefits our health more than laughter. “Laughter is more than just a temporary mood booster,” LaTorre explains. “Not only does it improve respiratory function by increasing airflow, but it also sparks a chemical reaction in the brain that lowers stress levels. And laughter facilitates social connections, which are just as crucial to our well-being. The positive relationships built through shared humor plays a significant role in overall health.”✂️ “When you change the way you see things, the things you see change,” he says.. “By challenging ourselves to shift our perspective – even slightly – people can start to invite more humor and joy into their lives, even in the toughest of times.” ❣️ 5 powerful books for emotional resilience and strength, Saniya Ahmad Khan, YourStory, January 26, 2025. Life often throws curveballs our way, testing our emotional resilience. From personal setbacks to professional challenges, staying grounded and emotionally strong is vital to navigating these hurdles. Thankfully, books can serve as guiding lights, offering insights, strategies, and comfort to strengthen our inner selves. Whether you're looking to heal, grow, or gain a new perspective, the right book can change how you approach life’s difficulties. Below, there are five impactful books to help you build emotional resilience and fortify your mental strength.
Read more at:
https://yourstory.com/2025/01/emotional-resilience-books ❣️ Hope is possible in every season. Here’s how to spark it. Emma Nadler, Washington Post, January 26, 2025. Allow yourself to feel, pursue connection and get creative -- these and other ways can help boost a sense of possibility. Make plans ahead of time I encourage the people I work with in my therapy practice to make a soothing plan before a possibly difficult or lonely day; this includes grief anniversaries and other milestones, but could also include weekends with no set activities. Do not put this off; knowing that you have structure ahead of time — especially including calming or enjoyable activities — can be relieving. For instance, if you know that you often feel isolated on Saturdays, sign up for a workout class or plan to enjoy a coffee out with a new book or magazine in tow. Or schedule a walk with a friend who may also crave companionship. Having things on your calendar to look forward to can reduce your stress level. ❣️ Resilience: Build skills to endure hardship, Mayo Clinic Staff Tips to improve your resilience If you'd like to become more resilient, try some of these tips: Get connected. Building strong, healthy relationships with loved ones and friends can give you needed support and help guide you in good and bad times. Connect with others by volunteering or joining a faith or spiritual group.
Building strong, healthy relationships with loved ones and friends can give you needed support and help guide you in good and bad times. Connect with others by volunteering or joining a faith or spiritual group. Make every day have meaning. Do something that gives you a sense of success and purpose every day. Set clear goals that you can reach to help you look toward the future with meaning.
Do something that gives you a sense of success and purpose every day. Set clear goals that you can reach to help you look toward the future with meaning. Learn from the past. Think of how you've coped with troubles in the past. Think about what has helped you through tough times. You can even write about past events in a journal to help you see the patterns of how you behave and to help guide you in the future.
Think of how you've coped with troubles in the past. Think about what has helped you through tough times. You can even write about past events in a journal to help you see the patterns of how you behave and to help guide you in the future. Stay hopeful. You can't change the past, but you can always look toward the future. Being open to change makes it easier to adapt and view new challenges with less worry.
You can't change the past, but you can always look toward the future. Being open to change makes it easier to adapt and view new challenges with less worry. Take care of yourself. Tend to your own needs and feelings. Do activities and hobbies you enjoy. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Get plenty of sleep and make bedtime rituals. Eat a healthy diet. Practice how to manage stress. Try ways to relax, such as yoga, meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing or prayer.
Tend to your own needs and feelings. Do activities and hobbies you enjoy. Include physical activity in your daily routine. Get plenty of sleep and make bedtime rituals. Eat a healthy diet. Practice how to manage stress. Try ways to relax, such as yoga, meditation, guided imagery, deep breathing or prayer. Take action. Don't ignore your problems. Instead, figure out what you need to do, make a plan and take action. It can take time to recover from a major setback, trauma or loss. But know that your life can improve if you work at it. 🎶 Music for Resilient Resisters 🎶 x YouTube Video
💪🏿💪🏼 We are All the Heroes We Need 💪🏾💪🏻
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist
Regular people are joining forces to demand a better world.
Marches alone will not change the world, but in addition to a wide variety of social activism, they send a message that people are watching, people are speaking out, and that gives other people comfort and encouragement.
Speaking truth to power, Violet Miller, Chicago Sun✶Times, January 25, 2025.
Hundreds took to Chicago’s streets Saturday in River North to protest Donald Trump’s first week in office. A coalition of more than 65 groups advocating for various causes came together at the protest and march, which had been rescheduled from Monday, the day of President Trump’s inauguration, due to frigid temperatures. Groups that had pushed for a ceasefire in Gaza were in lockstep with LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights groups as they protested Trump’s actions in the early days of his second term.✂️ “Ceasefire was just our first demand; this isn’t over,” said organizer Jinan Chehade. “The system that backs genocide is the same one that builds walls. … This isn’t the time to back down. We’ve seen what can happen in a week. Together we fight, and together we’ll tear down every wall of oppression.”✂️ Elizabeth Lopez, 33, of Hanover Park, took to the streets on behalf of her family, who are from Mexico, to make sure their voices were heard — specifically her undocumented relatives who have grappled with the fear of being deported for as long as she can remember.✂️ “We’re not alone in this,” Lopez said. “Do not give up. There’s a lot of people willing to fight. … [And] I’m tired of being quiet. This isn’t something I’ll back down on.”
Doctors reluctantly address the healthcare debt crisis
I have conflicting feelings about this item, because doctors could have spoken up decades ago about this (and about women’s healthcare) but very few did. Now that the healthcare crisis is really hurting doctors, too, more are finding the energy and courage to buck this unsustainable system. Doctors are no more noble than the rest of us, of course, and better late than never!
Doctors say they’ve apprehensively taken on job of preventing patients’ medical debt, Jessica Glenza, the Guardian, January 27, 2025.
The medical debt advocacy organization Undue Medical Debt released a toolkit to help doctors address patients’ financial needs – a role doctors said they did not train or want, but feel thrust into amid what they see as a worsening crisis. More than 90% of Americans carry some form of health insurance. Still, an estimated 41% of US adults, or more than 100 million people, also have medical debt – whether held on a credit card, paid off to a provider over time, borrowed from a family member or with a collections agency, surveys show.✂️ “The healthcare financing system is undermining that trust, and it’s something physicians have a big stake in,” said Eva Stahl, vice-president of public policy and program management at Undue Medical Debt. Since 2014, Undue Medical Debt has bought and forgiven $10bn worth of medical debt. The organization often buys debt for pennies on the dollar from debt collectors and hospitals, and then retires it. The new toolkit for doctors comes alongside the release of survey and focus group results, where doctors said they believed the medical debt crisis was worsening. Doctors in focus groups also reported that many do what they can to prevent debt, such as ordering fewer tests, but that they don’t always feel financing should be in their purview.
Wise words from Sec. Buttigieg
Black men mentoring the next generation of writers and readers
Black authors teach middle-schoolers power of words — ‘A storyteller has the ability to create multiple universes’, Mariah Rush, Chicago Sun Times, January 17, 2025.
When about 100 Black male students at Gary Comer College Prep gathered with storytellers Friday during “Real Men Read,” author and educator Tracy Brown shared his own story. “Reading was my way to escape into another world because my world wasn’t safe.” Brown began writing his community into his books, as did college professor Willie Williams. “Being able to write in a language that is specific to young Black men was my purpose for writing,” said Williams, a 16-time published author. “I don’t want to write about anything else.” Members of the Comer Black Male Initiative and the authors — all members of the Divine Nine, a group of nine Black fraternities and sororities — spent Friday encouraging the young middle-schoolers to find joy in reading and storytelling.
The kindness of a stranger can resonate for a lifetime
How an unexpected reply changed the way one woman responds to fumbles, Laura Kwerel, NPR, January 27, 2025.
"He leaned over and he said, 'Don't worry, it happens,'" she recalled. "And he turned to his guests and he started pouring them wine, and everything was fine." Today, Burnside Och often hears the man's voice in her own as she responds to someone else's fumbles. When her two young daughters break something by accident, or a server spills something on her clothes, she lets them know that it's just a mistake; they don't need to worry. "'It happens. I got it,'" she tells them. "It's amazing how disarming those words are, and how they can completely redirect a situation from one ending to another," she said. "And if I could talk to that man again, I would say, 'I heard you, and you're aces. Thank you.'"
12 Good News stories you might have missed
For all those Gnusies who used to love BeeD’s baby goat videos, story Number 2 is a goat story!!
Rt Rev. Budde is still standing — a heroine
The Price of Speaking Up in Trump’s America, Parker Molloy, The New Republic, January 24, 2025.
All of this—the full machinery of right-wing outrage—deployed against a religious leader who simply asked for kindness toward vulnerable people. The disproportionate response tells us exactly what we’re dealing with. When asked about the backlash, Budde told NPR, “I regret that it has caused the kind of response that it has, in the sense that it actually confirmed the very thing that I was speaking of earlier, which is our tendency to jump to outrage and not speak to one another with respect.” But she stood firm: “I don’t feel there’s a need to apologize for a request for mercy.”✂️ Remember this moment. Remember that asking for mercy toward scared children and immigrants was enough to trigger a full-scale campaign of intimidation from the highest levels of government and media. Remember that a sitting congressman suggested deporting an American citizen for the crime of asking the president to be kind.✂️ The important thing to remember here is that Budde is still standing. And her words are still true, no matter how many right-wing hosts try to demonize her for speaking them. The immigrants she described are still our neighbors. The scared children she mentioned are still scared. The administration’s response to Budde’s sermon has shown us exactly who they are. The only question is who we’ll choose to be in response.
Our mission:
x This is your mission. We take our power back now at the local and state level. Stop waiting for a national hero. It’s you. Get to work.
[image or embed] — Fred Wellman (@fpwellman.bsky.social) January 21, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Majority of people are actually on our side — they just don’t seem to know it … yet:
Disinformation and right wing propaganda has done its sinister work, and that’s the reason why people who say they care about the economy, healthcare and social security still keep voting for the Republicans. Many of us sigh in exasperation — “WHYYYYY DO PEOPLE keep voting against their own interests!!” — but the reality is that given what information people have consumed, they ARE voting for their interests. It’s just that their true, deepest interest is not practical but emotional.
The task now is to be clear-eyed about what has resonated with people — and what matters most to people (hint: it’s not the economy or democracy or world peace. It’s making those others — especially uppity women and people of color — pay for whatever grievances I have and which have been inflamed in me by right wing propaganda.). Most people actually agree with progressives on most issues, but they have been influenced by their emotions/grievances to vote for anger and hate. The trick is going to be helping our fellow citizens redirect that anger toward those who actually have caused their problems.
Some people have good ideas about this and you can be sure that Democratic strategists are paying attention.
🍽️ New Poll Recommends Eating the Billionaires, Josh Marshall, TPM, January 25, 2025.
I’ve mentioned a few times that Donald Trump is giving Democrats a big, big opening by so conspicuously surrounding himself and seeking the counsel of almost all of the country’s super-billionaires. If you’re a bruised party looking to get a footing in a populist moment, having the billionaire (at least branded as such) head of the opposite party surround himself with the country’s top billionaires and basically say, “We’re Team Billinoaire” is a pretty good opening. And the American people seem to agree. AP has a new poll out which asked whether people think it’s a good or bad thing that the President “relies on billionaires for advice about government policy.” When I first saw the results of this poll as “good” coming in at “+12” I thought they meant “net” 12% and I thought, “eeeesh, the honeymoon phase is more intense than I thought!” But no, 12%: as in, 12% of the public think it’s a good thing. 60% think it’s not. That’s U.S. adults. The only outliers are Republicans, 20% of whom think this is a good thing. But even that is pretty feeble. To put it simply, these are terrible numbers. The most important thing to remember about polls is that the opinions captured in them are often less important than the salience of those numbers. Maybe Donald Trump likes linguini and 90% of Americans are against it. But who cares? No one’s going to make their vote on that basis. Salience is critical. On its own I’m not sure surrounding yourself with billionaire friends is a major voting issue. But it’s unlikely to stay on its own since we’re about to see huge shifts in fiscal policy which favor billionaires at the expense of everyone else. The biggest point is that Democrats need to make it salient. But these numbers show there’s very fertile ground for doing so.
🎶 Music for Resistance Heroes 🎶
🤡 🥸 Fascists are Human, Too 😫 🤡
It’s ironic that, after the election, Elon Mush xitted out, “NEW WORLD ORDER” because nothing could be older nor less original than a return to the same old patriarchal, plutocratic social order that has been the status quo for humanity for literally all of our recorded history. That Elon flatters himself that he is part of a “new” world order is ignorant, pathetic hubris.
There have always been a few exploitative men — kings, aristocrats, robber barons, etc — ruling over the masses. For most of our history, these lords and kings fought amongst themselves for ultimate power (while ordinary people struggled to survive), but after the Enlightenment, movements of common people led to reforms, revolutions and the first tentatives steps toward an actual “new world order” based on the common welfare. We seem to cycle through progress and back to plutocracy with depressing regularity.
It’s important to keep in mind that these American fascists are mere human beings. Even their internationalist tech bro bankrollers and their foreign dictator puppet masters are still just human beings. Groups of them have built inhumane and viciously rapacious power structures to enrich themselves with both money and power, but that is not new in history. They aren’t the first to do this and unfortunately they probably won’t be the last to do so. The structures look invincible, but the humans who built them are not and neither is the apparatus they have built to funnel wealth and power from the many to the very few.
The 47th maladministration is entering the “fighting amongst themselves” stage of the cycle already (so much for a post-inauguration “honeymoon period”) :
🤡 Trump’s Coalition Is More Fragile Than He Thinks, Alex Shephard, The New Republic, January 27, 2025.
On one side, you have Trump’s popular base, which sees him as a strongman who can, through sheer force of will, via immigration and trade policy, return the country to an Edenic era of widespread middle-class prosperity. On the other, you have his power base, a group of some of the wealthiest people in the history of the world, who simply see him as a tool to make them richer. In December, we got a preview of where the biggest fault lines lay: Trump’s aura of indefatigability was punctured as rival camps duked it out over immigration policy.✂️ There is another more quotidian but significant threat present, as well. For all of the ideological conflict among Trump’s newly minted coalition, all of its most influential figures are strong-willed, and most are used to getting their way. Some, like RFK Jr. and Gabbard, hold deeply eccentric views, while others, most notably Musk, are highly annoying and have a long history of rubbing people the wrong way. Personal animosity is inevitable; indeed it already has broken out between Bannon and Musk. In a similar vein, there are compelling reasons to doubt the sturdiness of the voter coalition Trump forged in November. The gains he made with Black, Latino, and young men have many Democrats panicking. But time will tell if this is a lasting shift or one specific to unique circumstances, in this case a term-limited candidate and an election that followed an extended period of record inflation. Trump, meanwhile, is a singular politician, but he is hardly invulnerable. During his first term, he was subject to public opinion shifts that have only grown more thermostatic, with voters seemingly primed to quickly sour on incumbents. The fickle electorate that turned on him during his first term helped him win in 2024, but there’s no reason to believe they won’t turn on him again if he can’t deliver on his promises.
🤡 Florida GOP Turns on ‘Bully’ DeSantis and Says He Can’t Just ‘Generate Headlines’ Anymore, Josh Fiallo, Daily Beast, January 27, 2025.
Ron DeSantis’ waning influence was exposed Monday when Florida Republicans rejected a special legislative session he called to address illegal immigration. ✂️ The Florida legislature, which infamously operated at DeSantis’ behest in recent years, adjourned his special session mere minutes after it began and rebuked the governor in the process. The leaders then convened their own session to prioritize immigration reform that aligns closer to Donald Trump’s priorities and not those of DeSantis, who they accused of being a “bully” who acted too hastily.✂️ DeSantis ordered the special session on Jan. 13 and called for intense immigration reform. He asked for lawmakers to pass bills that would launch a state deportation program, a statewide database of people who send money overseas, establish state charges for entering the country illegally, and deny bail to all undocumented people. The governor also called for the criminal prosecution of any law enforcement officers or officials who refused to carry out his proposed changes, among other things. It was the threat of arresting local cops that appeared to especially rub Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton the wrong way. Perez said Monday that DeSantis had “some good ideas,” but it is not up to him to call the shots on immigration.
🤡 'Excellent points': WSJ backs GOP senator who broke with Trump, Erik De La Garza, Raw Story, January 27, 2025.
President Donald Trump’s decision to terminate security protection for former administration officials turned critics John Bolton, Brian Hook and Mike Pompeo is one early decision that he “would be wise to reverse,” the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board argued. In a stinging editorial out Monday, the editorial board applauded Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) for publicly bashing Trump’s revoking of security for his former advisers – and lobbed their own scorn at the president’s decision.✂️ The MAGA lawmaker went on to detail the reasons he believes all three former officials who were stripped of their security deserve it to be reinstated. Chief among them was Iran’s “real” plot for “vengeance against all of these people” that a review of the intelligence left him to conclude. “Excellent points all,” the editorial board wrote Monday. “Mr. Trumphasn’t explained his denial of security except to say it can’t last forever. But it should last as long as there are real threats to those who did their duty and are marked for death by an adversary because of it.”
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ How to Take Heart From What Really Worked in the First Resistance, Theda Skocpol, The New Republic, January 24, 2025.
⚡️ What Could Go Right? Navigating the Chaos How to endure the firehose of news that accompanies a second Trump term, Emma Varvaloucas, The Progress Network.
⚡️ In Fighting Fascism, We Must Choose Our Battles Wisely, William C. Anderson, Yes Magazine, January 24, 2025.
⚡️ Surviving "political grief": You're not alone, and there is a path forward, Chauncey DeVega, Salon, January 27, 2025.
⚡️ We Found the $2 Trillion -Elon Musk wants to cut government spending. But the waste in the system goes to elites like him. Here’s a better way to bring down deficits. David Dayen, The American Prospect, January 27, 2025.
⚡️ Bet You Could Use Some Nice Climate 'N' Energy Things Today, Huh? Doktor Zoom, Wonkette, January 26, 2025.
⚡️ Want good luck this year? Try these Lunar New Year traditions from NPR readers, Suzanne Nuyen, January 27, 2025.
⚡️ A healthy resolution for 2025? Start a garden. Tips for beginners, Jessica Damiano, AP, January 22, 2025.
⚡️ The Myth of a Loneliness Epidemic, Faith Hill, the Atlantic, January 24, 2025.
⚡️ 15 Major Benefits of Walking, According to Experts, Madeleine Haase and Jenn Gonick, Prevention, October 28, 2024.
⚡️ The mind/body revolution: how the division between ‘mental’ and ‘physical’ illness fails us all, Aida Edemariam, the Guardian, January 26, 2025.
⚡️ The Year of the Snake, Jay Kuo, The Status Kuo, January 26, 2025.
🐩 💙 CG’s Picks 💙 🐩
Hello Everybody, it’s me, CurlyGirl! Me and Mama have had QUITE a TIME this past few days. For me, it has been a little bit fustrating (sic) because we have not been able to take our usual nice long walks. Apparently, Mama hurt her foot downstairs and can’t walk too far although she is determined to make me walk SLOWLY around the block several times every day which is better than nothing but oh my stars I hope that paw foot gets better SOON! (nifty: don’t worry, CG, it’s already a lot better and I am hopeful that we can walk farther tomorrow!)
Anywah, while we have been laid up at home WAY too much, I have had some time to find some nice stories about animals for you! First, DOGS!
🐕🦺🦮 Olive and Mabel at the beach
Here is a video of Olive and Mabel, the two terrific Labradors who go on lovely treks with their human all the time (unlike some unlucky dogs >ahem me cough cough< ). This video looks like such fun! I remember when me and Mama used to go running along the beach and I would fetch my ball in the sea just like Olive and Mabel! (sigh) wish I was running there with them!
🐴🐏🐈⬛ Cute Farm Animals Playing in the Snow
I like this because the animals are so cute and there is even a barn cat at the end chasing around with the mini-cows!
🐦⬛ How do birds keep warm in winter?
This is a question that I have often wondered about. Those little birdy bodies don’t seem to have any fur or wooly coat to keep them warm like I do! And even though I hate boots, those tiny bird feet have no boots and no fur and no nothing! How do they stay warm in the wintertime? Well, apparently northern birds have lots of neat ways to stay warm!
How do birds keep warm in the winter? Tina Shaw, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Have you ever wondered how birds can stay warm in the cold winter months? Redpolls are a great example: These energetic foragers weigh less than 15 grams and can survive temperatures that plunge nearly 100 degrees below the freezing point! How do they do it? Birds of all shapes and sizes have special adaptations for living in cold climates. Here are just a few examples of tough birds and their tips for staying warm. x YouTube Video
🐴 a first for CG’s Picks ! A poem! About a horse!
My human grandfather loved Shakespeare and also poetry. One of his favorite poets was Robert Frost and a poem he often recited to Mama at bedtime when she was small was this one. Mama can still hear his gentle voice intoning “and miles to go before I sleep” and I really like that the main character is a horse!
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
ROBERT FROST BY
Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
x YouTube Video
🦉 Last but not least, an owl story!
Hoo-hoo Needs Some Good News? Injured Snowy Owl Is Rescued Near O’Hare, and There’s a Happy Ending, Patty Wetli, WTTW, January 24, 2025.
Looks happy and sassy, doesn’t she? DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center (formerly Willowbrook Wildlife Center) reported that its staff recently admitted and treated an injured female snowy owl, rescued from near Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Visible bleeding from wounds under the wing and on one of her feet initially led the veterinary team to think the raptor was suffering from rodenticide poisoning, but that turned out not to be the case. Bird flu was not detected, either.✂️ In the happiest of all possible outcomes, the owl healed quickly, was sassy throughout her week-long stay at the center, and has already been released back into the wild, according to staff.
That’s all the stories I have for you this week. Thanks for reading! Luv, CG 💙🐾
🚧 🩷 ❣️ How Can You Help Build a Better World? ❣️ 🩷 🚧
I’m going to share some of the excellent links and suggestions from GoodNewsRoundup and chloris creator today. Repetition is good!
🎩 GoodNewsRoundup:
There are many ways to get involved. Everyone can find something that works for them.
Here are some ideas.
🎩 chloris creator:
I know it’s tough to see the path forward. And I can’t guarantee that there is a path forward. But people who are smarter and braver than I have seen ways to move ahead.
Their plans really are dark, but many of them are also dumb, in the sense that they don’t make sense. So many of them cannot succeed. Here are some quick hits. Stay involved. Yeah, that’s tough. I want to look away too, but by taking simple actions you can make a difference. Keep contacting your representatives, both in DC and at home.
Support causes that will fight. Send money if you can. Also, spread their news with clicks and conversation.
Slow them down. Oppose and block at every turn.
Make tRump unpopular. Doing this weakens him. And it should not be that difficult. The GOP made a lot out of Biden is old and eggs cost too much. Well, tRump is older than Biden was at the beginning of his term and tRump has no policies that are going to bring down inflation. And a host of other problems, like he’s a convicted felon.
Divide the GOP from each other. They are a coalition based on contradictory promises, so there’s plenty to work with.
Keep telling the truth and showing love.
Make sure to pace yourselves in this marathon and to practice self-care.
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
You know what I am going to say, don’t you? Even though I repeat it every time I write a GNR, this is a sincere request that you take good care of yourself and encourage those you love to take good care of themselves, too. And in that way, we will all take care of each other.
Get some rest, eat nutritious food and do your very best to get outdoors each day for at least a few minutes, if you are able. If you can, I especially recommend a walk each day. It is amazing what a beneficial effect that regular mild exercise and a change of scenery can have on our state of mind and body. If you have a park or woods nearby, so much the better, but anywhere at all under the open sky will do.
10 Benefits of Walking
That’s it from me and CG for another Tuesday. Thanks for coming by!
🎶 Music for your Tuesday 🎶
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