Antidote

Not in a biblical sense, I feel I am in the world, but not of it, sitting up here with my animals for company, and I prefer it this way.  I watch local news every morning to get a weather report and, of course, catch a glimpse of what's going on down in the valley and a smidgen of world news.  I can't remember a morning when there wasn't a report of at least one or more shootings, either personal or random.  They are commonplace now and seem to merit no more attention than a car crash or a food fair.  What I find frightening is that there are more and more mass shootings.  When did life lose its value?  There is a vast difference between a "reality show" and reality, and lately it seems that the edges are blurred.  The other day I came home to find there had been another, yes, another slaughter in Texas, the state where more guns are supposed to keep the citizenry safe.  Nearly everyone I know is a responsible gun owner, and I don't believe that any one of them would resist a background check and common sense laws.

I, like the rest of the world, have been watching the agonizingly slow progress and devastation of hurricane Dorian.  Nature is showing her ugly side and power.  It makes me ashamed for whining about a little heat or rain.  It is the naysayers of climate change who should be ashamed.

Okay, enough of the diatribe.  After hours of watching the news and becoming more and more depressed, I needed an antidote.  Thankfully, PBS has been rerunning episodes of Downton Abbey and I had recorded four or five.  Yes, there were tragedies involved, but what I needed yesterday was the sense of civility, courtesy, and respect, and I watched them back to back.

I needed the comfort of taking Michael for more than usual walks, and the weight and warmth of cats on my lap.  The touch of fur is a balm by itself.  I needed to sit on the porch with Michael and feel the breeze (albeit warm and not cooling) and let the peace of this place soothe my soul.

Peace be with you, find it where you will.