[Sticky] Evidence that we are moving towards a new paradigm

These recent posts were lost during the glitch and are really good!

  DannyBoy

(@dannyboy)

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Posts: 729

01/25/2022 1:29 pm   

So after making some great gains moving UP the spiral, I took a massive tumble DOWN the spiral today.  There's about a 10 minute lag between when I leave for work and when the bus picks up my daughters to go to school.  Today was the second day in a row that the bus just didn't even show up. No call from the district, nothing.  They luckily know what to do in this situation and kept a level head (my Ring doorbell was my first alert that something was amiss, then my Apple HomePod intercom sent me their message, and they followed it up with a text message for good measure.  Great job twins!)

So today was the second day in a row I fled out of work right after putting my coat down to return home and take them to school.  To say everyone got an earful is a bit of an understatement.  I bothered the transportation department (no answer - left a message) the principal of the school (I was nice there - this wasn't her fault) and finally pestered two board member friends until I had the Superintendent's number.  We spoke on the phone.  Apparently the driver "forgot" to get them.  I was assured it wouldn't happen again but boy oh boy was my blood pressure through the roof!

I have since spent some time calming back down, getting some "easy tasks" crossed of my list, and doing a couple of calming meditations.  But my point here is don't feel bad if you stumble down our spiral because it's going to happen.  Just work on the problem and get back up again. (Maybe skip the swearing on the voicemail to the transportation department.  Dannyboy will be reliving that moment in shame for awhile :P)

Jeanne Mayell, BlueBelle, 2ndfdl and 8 people liked

  raincloud

(@raincloud)

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    Joined: 11 months ago

Posts: 89

01/25/2022 1:36 pm   

Posted by: @dannyboy

But my point here is don't feel bad if you stumble down our spiral because it's going to happen.  Just work on the problem and get back up again.

Yes, therein lies the wisdom. Good for you. Your twins showed level-headed thinking. Take a bow, Dad.

Jeanne Mayell, BlueBelle, 2ndfdl and 4 people liked

  Lovendures

(@lovendures)

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Posts: 3437

01/25/2022 2:26 pm   

@dannyboy Your post made me smile, still smiling.

Glad your twins can follow an action plan well and they are safe. That is great news really!

Glad you will be able to spiral up again soon.  While we all spiral downward, it's what we chose to do once we realize it that matters right?  

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  Jeanne Mayell

(@jeanne-mayell)

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Joined: 5 years ago

Posts: 6491

 Topic starter  01/25/2022 10:31 pm   

@lovendures @dannyboy, I love how you take us through your process, crazy, mad, and all, and how you then show us how you can be back up again. You are a true educator in how you take us through it. I am inspired.

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  DannyBoy

(@dannyboy)

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Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 729

01/26/2022 8:58 am   

I'll add to the story of my yesterday - I was midway clawing my way back up the golden slide when the choreographer from the show we're finalizing in 2.5 weeks here tried pulling me back down like we were in some crazy bizarre horror movie.  I had thankfully already taken my anti-anxiety meds and let her angry texts sit overnight.  In my brain there are lots of things I wanted to say back, but instead I let it go and texted this morning that she needed to take tonight off, and I decided that if she attempts to engage with this situation via texts I will defer her to "in person, when she's calm."  In the mean-time, her "this'll show him!" announcement to me that she'll only be there from 3-4 from now on really just left me with relief, and will probably relieve my assistant director (who was verbally assaulted by her just last week) as well when she gets back from Disney this weekend.

I do recognize the trauma she's been through but as a friend pointed out to me this morning, "It's not your responsibility to be the anger whisperer."  (She said a different word that started with a B but I elected not to type it here.) - that is a good reminder.  I've made no secret that I've given this show everything I have left, but on a good day it's fourth on my priority list after work, my new post-graduate degree, and family.  

In the mean-time, COVID has canceled all the presentations I was supposed to deliver in person for work these past two weeks and since I'm light years ahead on all my work and college projects I have taken this afternoon off as a mental health day so I can maybe take a spin class on my Aldi find exercise bike on Apple Fitness + and spend a little time sending as much light and energy to her and my cast as I can muster before heading into practice, then coming home to teach a night class for work.

This morning my older twin had her own little mini-meltdown.  Apparently being "forgotten" by the district (we didn't present it to her that way) was weighing on her more than she let on yesterday.  She's also feeling the stress of the "go go go go go" which was our way of life prior to the pandemic.  I'm not home when they get home anymore, nor will I be until this show is done.  This too, is a fantastic reminder about what we do to ourselves and our families when we overextend and why this is the best possible moment for all of us to cut out that which makes us miserable and puts these burdens on our family.  We're going to see Frozen this weekend and then they have a birthday party on Sunday but I promised her that next weekend we'd stay home, bundle up, and watch movies together all weekend.  And I promised her that it would only be two and a half more weeks before I'm home after school for her every day.  All of this seemed to help.

Back up the golden spiral slide I attempt to go.

  PamP

(@pamp)

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01/26/2022 1:00 pm   

@dannyboy All this reminds of the great M*A*S*H character, Dr. Sidney Freeman: "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice. Pull down your pants and slide on the ice." 

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  Allyn

(@allyn)

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 Joined: 2 years ago

Posts: 490

01/26/2022 3:28 pm   

@dannyboy 

Ah, Frozen!  One of the better Disney movies, in my opinion (I babysit a lot of my younger relatives, so Disney movies and I have an amicable partnership).  

Perhaps it is a sign from the universe?  The main song in Frozen is "Let It Go," (ignoring the whole "young woman with powers over ice and snow" story, the song is basically about how one decides to stop trying to conform oneself to the standard that society imposes on them and lives their life by the standards he or she choses to conform to, but in a peaceful, joyous way.)

We will still continue to fight against the lawlessness and cruelty exhibited by Trump and the Republicans.  But since I know that they are corrupt, why do I allow myself to get upset over it.  The sky is blue, the grass is green, Trump and Republicans are corrupt, and I will continue to oppose them.  And eventually I and others will win.  If not in this generation, then certainly in the next.  For even though Republicans are good at holding on to power, they can't beat time, and the fact that they have invested so little in the welfare of future generations (climate change, financial inequality, etc.), they have no future beyond this generation, and they know it.

So I keep repeating to myself that it doesn't matter.  Yes, Trump and Republicans are corrupt, but I already know that, and no new revelations is going to change that fact, so why let myself get upset about their efforts when I already know what they are going to do?  By stressing out, aren't I giving them more power over my life?  The sky is blue, the grass is green, Trump and the Republicans are corrupt, and I will oppose them and eventually win.  No anger, no agony.  

The time comes when we, like Elsa (again, sorry for the Disney parallels), must "let go" and find joy in the situation.  Yes, life is difficult right now, but we can control how we respond to it.  Elsa could have cried on the mountainside all night about how her secret was out and how her kingdom would never accept her.  Instead, she chose to embrace the situation by accepting her gift and choosing to live a life free from the stresses that she and society imposed on her (and building an ice castle and a talking snowman.)  We know what Republicans are going to do.  We will oppose them in every way we can, including finding joy in life and denying them the power to disrupt our happiness.  There will be struggles, but we will win eventually.  End of story.

Now I must go back to repeating my chant.  (The grass is green.  The sky is blue.  Trump and Republicans are corrupt.  I and others will oppose them and eventually win.)  No anger, no rage, no sorrow.  Just simple fact and truth.

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  Lovendures(@lovendures)

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Posts: 3440

01/26/2022 3:50 pm   

@allyn -I love your Frozen thoughts.  They're really "cool".  They can help lessen the "chill" of fear many of us have felt and welcome the beauty which continues to flourishes around and within us all. Thank you.

@Dannyboy- The struggle is real, your children are wonderful and you are a fantastic father.  Thank you for letting us spiral up along with you. I really enjoy reading your life stories.

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Lol - @Jeanne-mayell thank you for salvaging my rant posts :P.  

This is our future and we are in good hands.

This valedictorian can't speak but she just gave an incredible graduation speech.  It is filled with great light and wisdom.  

Seriously, you should watch it.

I love our youth!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g5aJExZQwg

@lovendures  Our youth are the Light indeed and more than we know are heeding the creed "We are here for service" The media would have you think that all have their heads stuck in their phones, cyber bullying and TikToking their lives away. There is some of that? I see it more as escapism from the stresses of the Pandemic and the turmoil in our country/world now. Inside their heads and whether they share with us or not...so many of them care so deeply, and have profound thoughts on how to heal the mess we have made of our planet and our society.

Stop and think for a moment of the advances made in just our lifetimes! How much more then are the changes/advances coming for the future even as we are embroiled in the dying gasps of the current GQP and the people speaking up and out and demanding more equity for all?