Feeling a little overwhelmed by the crazies out there--

I'm having an awfully hard time mentally staying in my lane. The ginormous mess that the country is in, with all of this investigate the investigation crap, coupled with a clear and present danger from wackadoodle politicians and their sycophantic monkeys, overlayered with an irrefutable but refuted climate pattern that spells disaster for everyone, and now, crazy-train bullpucky here in town with one of our selectpersons who also happens to be a state legislator. Apparently, the ancient Assyrian/Babylonian gods are back and meddling with the United States, specifically. What the actual huh?

That's a mouthful of muck, my friends. All of this (and other crud) is underscored by an unseasonably hot and muggy week. A week, like so many others, that held/holds its own challenges, predictable and surmountable, if not tossed into this soup of weirdness. All I can think of is "and now this"--the way the news anchor used to seamlessly transition the viewers to the advertisement for Pepto or Gainsburgers. 

Staying in my lane: teaching students how to do what they need to do in order to communicate effectively, and in an interesting/interested manner. That is, essentially, the one thing I strive for, and usually achieve for and with my kids. 

Staying in my lane: keeping my house presentable, and staying on top of what my family needs. This is not usually all that difficult, if I piece it out on the daily.

Staying in my lane: focusing on my own work, whether it is professional or personal writing. This part is suffering a little lately, but that's expected, due to the change in routines that the beginning of the school year brings. It'll settle in soon.

But all of these rather mundane expectations are being jostled in strange ways, at least in my brain. I feel like I'm pushing string, and it's not even my damned string to push. I know this, but there that pesky string-- or knot of them-- is, a mental tangle just waiting to trip me up. I can't sort out the big issues, I can comment on the local issues, but mostly, I just want to take care of the stuff that is in my lane. 

Speaking of lanes, we narrowly missed being part of a nasty car accident yesterday-- I was in the center turning lane, and the car coming out of Starbucks decided to speed-thread the needle, zipping in front of me, barely missing a collision with oncoming traffic, and then nicking a car that was traveling at the normal rate of speed heading in the direction he wanted to go. If he'd just waited a moment for a break in the traffic, all would have been pretty boring. But no. He barged in, and nearly caused a 3-4 car accident. Then, when the police came, he appeared to be telling an alternative-facts-laden version of the story. (I could tell from body language and hand gestures.) I had a front row seat, parked as I was facing the scene-- what a drama. 

I miss the days when folks acted rationally, when they 'fessed up to the stupid stuff and made amends instead of excuses and court filings. I miss the days when rational, intelligent conversations about differences of opinion were more the norm-- I really do not want to debate whether a small painting on the side of a private building is going to bring down the evil interference of Assyrian gods. Seriously--Ghost Busters is a movie, not a prediction of days to come.

I hope you have a good day,

C