Blend meld mold shift transform move lift create build write sing dance speak work give share help meet appreciate join celebrate be do thrive harmonize transcend…add your own verbs here—as long as they are positive!

This is what we must do now, as a nation: move toward the positive. But how? The “how” is always part of the solution. To say “solution” implies we have a problem, and Houston, we do. (Yes, I’m looking at you, Texas. And many of the Republican-governed states who are influencing ALL the states.)

But I skipped right over the “why.” We’ve got two competing belief systems we as citizens are attempting to sort out–and the nation is divided! Contentions are high: Violence is spiking and many people feel threatened. There are so many issues within those belief systems that divide us–issues that effect our everyday lives.

But when it comes to sorting these issues, can we all agree: we’re in it together?

Can we start there?

We’re all on planet Earth together.

Do we all agree on that one point?

If so, let’s move forward. Together. Citizens in Red states. Citizens in Blue states.

If not, let’s back off and look broader: we’re all on planet Earth. “Together” is up for debate with some. But if we can agree on that one point, we’re all on planet Earth, we can agree on others.

Yes, we have many disagreements, but we do have common areas of concern and that’s where we start.

Can we all agree we are human beings? Sacks of skin and bags of bones made alive by the miracle of breath, water and spirit? If so, we can move forward. If not, let’s back up. Can we all agree humans require oxygen and water?

Yes, there is a divide in this nation. Like each other or not, we’re on the planet, the team, and the company roster. We’re part of humanity, in the choir, the club, the band. We’re all at the G– D— party! Can we all agree to that: we’re in this together whether we like it or not? We have more things in common than not and that’s where we must focus our attention.

I need Steven King to write us a better ending! I need Survivor to turn into Thriver and build a fucking village and create a community!

What if the world focused on what unites us versus what divides us?

Imagine the positive outcomes. Visual a better future. We can do it; we can move forward, together.

Lindee

Possible headline: Woman w/out Healthcare Dies of Sepsis *

The real headline should be: Republican Mom Kills Own Daughter

“I didn’t think MY daughter would die,” cries Karen, a good God-fearing Christian who voted for Republicans because they and she passed judgment on anyone who had an abortion. “Only bad girls, promiscuous girls need abortions. That’s not my daughter.”

And then—gasp!—her daughter turns up preggers. It doesn’t matter HOW it happened: a consensual first-time lover, a consensual romance, a non-consensual perverted step-father/brother/uncle, a pastor who indulged his sexual nature.**

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW IT HAPPENED. If a woman is pregnant and does not want to have a child, abortion is the solution. If a woman desperately wants to be a mother but finds she’s lost her baby in the womb, abortion is the solution.

Mother Karens who think “my daughter had a miscarriage so she’ll get the care she needs” will be crying when they learn that, too, is an abortion–and it’s being outlawed!

Abortion is often necessary when a fetus dies within the uterus, with an ectopic pregnancy, incomplete miscarriage, or potentially fatal bleeding due to a placental abruption, and when birth control fails.

Abortion is healthcare–and a fundamental right. The government does NOT have the right to tell women they can’t have this procedure—under any circumstance, wanted pregnancy or unwanted pregnancy. The ramifications are extreme when the mother is not yet ready to give birth.

As long as men have penises, women are going to get pregnant. Many are wanted; many are unwanted. A woman should have the option to choose if the pregnancy continues or not.

Of course termination should be as early as possible; termination after 20 weeks only if the life of the mother is at risk. When healthcare is available (education, contraception, immediate access to abortion medication and procedures), women live.

According to The Conversation, a non-profit, independent news organization, the number of pregnancy-related deaths will increase by 21% the first year alone with our Hispanic and African-American sisters paying the biggest price.

This is unacceptable. This is avoidable—by reinstating a woman’s right to control her own body.

Medical doctors are not making these decisions. Politicians are. Specifically, white, Christian men and women, based on their own religious beliefs, are driving this assault on women. The Supreme Court of the United States of America made this decision.

This ultra-conservative, right-wing group of Justices will continue their assault on our individual freedoms. The right to PRIVACY is of utmost importance. And the separation of Church and State must be maintained.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Republicans calling for abortion bans based on their own beliefs are betraying their oaths to the Constitution. And more importantly—they are killing their own daughters! Our daughters.

If you don’t believe in abortion then don’t have one! But you not believing in abortion doesn’t deny the fact that thousands of women will need that procedure just to stay alive.

We must vote Republicans out of office. Other issues matter not once you’ve lost control of your own body. I will fight daily for my daughter, her daughter, your daughter, all daughters. I will support and vote for every Democrat on every ballot knowing Democrats protect this right.

Will you vote for Democrats in 2024? Or will you let Republicans kill our daughters?

Lindee

* I jest. So many women die of sepsis yearly that it isn’t even news. Just like the multitude of gun deaths. It’s tragic and sad.

** Based on my personal experience of being kissed by a Catholic priest when I was 16, so fuck-off with any righteous indignation of my disparaging remarks against clergy.

Suicide Hotline, 800 273-8255, Trigger Alert!
If you are suffering, call the Suicide Hotline: 800 273-8255

It’s okay to kill yourself, is the theme of A Star is Born movie.

And what a kick in the teeth it is. It’s okay to kill yourself IF you love someone enough and you’re afraid you’ll damage their career. What the fuck?! Who produced this? Was it Bradly Cooper and Gaga? Or are they just the ones that perpetuated—YES, PERPETUATED THAT guilt trip: IF you love someone enough, it is NOT okay to kill yourself! They are NOT better off without you! THAT’s the LIE depression and especially that suicidal voice in your head will tell you. ‘It’s okay to commit suicide and leave the planet because those around you would be better without you.’ And that just isn’t true.

The movie A Star is Born is telling that story.

And I don’t remember that in the original with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. John Norman does indeed die in the end, but it’s a car crash. HE DIDN’T HANG HIMSELF for fucks sake. He died a tragic death, but not at his own hand. At the hand of fate, or God, or the Universe, whatever you believe. If that was the message intended, that he crashed his car on purpose, I guess I missed that in the remake of the musical remake of the original. If you’re interested, google “A Star Is Born wiki.” I’ll have to go back and watch the end of the other movie. Maybe it did end that way. And if so, maybe THAT’s when I was conditioned to believe that my family, my kids would be better off without me.

I’ve had those thoughts, twice in my life. They were dark, low spots. And I was truly convinced I was hurting those around me by being me. I had shrinks telling me I was bipolar and that I wasn’t all right. I don’t remember anyone telling me I was mentally ILL, but they put me on lithium. Yes, One-Flew-Over-The-Cookoo’s-Nest lithium. I turned into a zombie, my own personal version of the walking dead. I did that for two weeks, but my spirit bust loose and through the haze. I KNEW there was more for me to do than trudge through life in a big-pharma-induced coma. I told the Doctor I WOULDN’T be taking drugs. At least not THAT drug. Today, I use natural cures and exercise and a whole lot of yoga to combat depression, and that nasty little gremlin in my head that says others would be better off without me? That little fucker is gone. I know my family needs me, and I’m here for the long haul. On fate, God and the Universe’s good graces.

I’m here to say, don’t kill yourself. Whatever you are going through WILL eventually be okay, because if it’s not okay, it’s not the end. Maybe that’s a warped philosophy to many. For me it’s been proven again and again in my life. There’s also your business, my business, and God’s business. I didn’t say we’d each necessarily see the happy ending in this lifetime; that might happen from the other side. That’s God’s business. It’s a mystery. It’s thee mystery. And someday I’ll know. Someday, we’ll all know. Until then, I’ll tend to my own business—and yours! If you’ll let me. I’m here with an ear. There are many of us. And we need you to do your part. You need to speak-up. Talk! And since I’m not available 24-hrs a day, the angels at the Suicide Hotline are, and they are ready to help:

 800 273-8255

I guess Bradly Cooper never got that message. He should have called.

I was disappointed in A Star Is Born. And I was angered. Cooper and Gaga were awesome together, but creepy after. The song “Shallows” was overplayed. Watching them together made me really uncomfortable. It was weird. Thumbs down. I give it one star. I hated it. I hated everything having to do with it, the remake. It reminds me of the darkest part of myself and my many lives.

Life is hard. And it hurts sometimes.

But. It is also precious! And life is a gift! And having kids, friends, a partner, a passion, a purpose, and a job make the hard times bearable, because tomorrow IS another day: another chance to get it right. IF you don’t buy into the LUDICROUS THOUGHT THAT THE ONES YOU LOVE WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU.

That’s pure bullshit.

That’s what THIS star says.

#LoquaciousLindee

P.S. Why Worry when you can Wonder. Read more…

I read this excerpt from Elisabeth Parker, Writer and had to share.

My best girlfriends have jokingly talked about an intervention for me, a political intervention. They think I watch too much politics on TV. They can’t watch. It’s too brutal and Trump too vile. They’ve tuned out. They don’t want to know. And they think I should take a break as well because I go crazy watching Trump and the GOP lock kids in cages, do business with the Russians, take money from middle-low income people–all while destroying the planet!

But who is going to pay attention? Who is going to speak-up for immigrants and champion the young souls Trump has ripped from their caring parents’ arms? Who will stop Trump from seizing private and public lands to erect his racist, ego-driven wall? Who will fight for education for our young and medical care for us all?

I will. And I need your help.

As a white woman, a woman of privilege, I’m embarrassed that the majority of white women voted for Trump. I don’t understand it. Have they no empathy for others? Perhaps Trump’s destructive policies haven’t reached them personally, yet, but they will…in the form of lower pay, loss of control of our bodies, discrimination against LGBTQ people, and dependence on men. Women voting for Trump voted against their own interests. They’ve conceded their power to a bunch of old, white men. Men of self-imposed privilege that, in most cases, they’ve taken through entitlement and violence.

A woman on my twitter feed, a Trump supporter, is pissed. She totally bought into the #GOPTaxScam. She believed Trump had her best interests in mind. But, she’s not getting a tax refund this year. She’s having to pay $5000 instead. That was her red-line. She says Trump has lost her vote. That saddens me.

Not that Trump has lost her vote, but that KIDS IN CAGES ISN’T a red-line issue for her. That saddens me and sickens me. What have Americans become? She represents the worst in humanity; she’s desensitized to another human’s pain. Trump brings that out in people. He’s vilified immigrants to such a degree that some white people no longer care, if they ever did. Privilege brings that out in people.   

I vow to use my time to stay educated on the issues—and educate others! And, I vow to use my privilege to fight for people of all colors, sizes, shapes, and flavors. And I invite you to join the cause. The question is:

What will you do?

Will you step-up and speak-up? Are you still tuned in? Do you KNOW your country needs you? Democracy needs you? Right now! Use what you have to make a difference. Don’t wait for the pain to arrive at your doorstep. Have empathy for others. Use your own privilege to make a difference.

#LoquaciousLindee   #whitegirlprivilege  #libertyandjusticeforall

rainy day at airport A rainy day delay helps grow patience.

I try too hard sometimes. Like right now. I’m trying to get home.

If I had just waited the weather out, I’d probably be boarding my Seattle flight to Denver right now, arriving home by 5. Well, land at 5:00 which puts me home at 7 p.m. But instead, I listened to the Weather Channel, got a 30 minute flight delay notice, checked Raindar, saw a HUGE storm over Seattle.

Then I read of tornados in Portland, checked Raindar again, boarded my flight to Seattle just to be grounded for an hour and a half and then dumped in the terminal to wait it out. After checking Raindar again, I called Travel.

Thanks goodness I have a go-to person at the office; I didn’t have to stand behind fifty other people trying to find a different way out. John swiftly and graciously got me down the road 90 miles to the closest airport, and a guaranteed flight to Salt Lake City, then home to Denver, arriving by 10 p.m. Weather looked good. It was guaranteed.

So now I’m at the Pasco airport, waiting, watching the planes go by, listening to their Seattle flight being called, and wondering, would I be on that Seattle-to-Denver flight home right now, if I hadn’t been proactive and found myself a different route home.

¯_( )_/¯

Who knows. I should stop trying so hard, pushing so much. I think that’s the “lesson,” if there is one.

I seldom sit down and enjoy, relax, just be. I’m doing something 90% of the time I’m not sleeping. That usually involves pushing hard to make money to pay the bills. I need to let more come to me. I’d better reread the book The Law of Attraction, by Ester and Jerry Hicks.

In lieu of that, I’m just going to sit here awhile, very still, very quiet and think good thoughts. Okay, first I’m going to finish this blog, then sit here, very quietly, thinking good thoughts. I’m going to slow down, enjoy the travel day, and get home when I get home. There is no problem I have to deal with, everyone is taken care of, my sweetheart is waiting for me. And he’ll be there when I get there.

Hmmm, maybe being proactive and pushing too hard wasn’t such a bad thing. It gave me time to sit down and write after all, and that always helps me let the good in.

Oh, I just heard someone say their flight was cancelled into Seattle earlier today and now they are waiting for another!

Vindicated!!! Keep on pushin’!

#LoquaciousLindee

When did being Politically Correct become a bad thing?!

Donald Trump has denounced political correctness and has built a campaign disparaging and belittling others: Hispanics, Muslims, the Black and Asian cultures, Women, the Republican Party…and the list goes on. He wears being mean, nasty, snarky, and politically INcorrect as a badge of honor, something to be proud of. But what’s wrong with being politically correct?!

Being politically correct is simply being respectful and polite; two words that are not in Trump’s vocabulary or mindset. “Respectful and polite” are attributes strong leaders emanate—even if they disagree with or see differently than the person they are speaking to or working with. It’s not necessary to be in complete agreement on issues when respect is present. Polite, respectful conversation can lead to compromise and win-win situations for all.

But when being “politically correct” is beyond a leader’s mental capacity, when polite conversation has ceased and the conversation has turned to condescending, belittling language, we all lose. The person or group who’s being verbally attacked with politically incorrect language feels victimized; and the attacker, the bully has weakened our position as a nation that acknowledges, appreciates, and embraces people or cultures that can help build a brighter future for us all.

I don’t profess to know the politics of Dear Abby, Emily Post, or Miss Manners, but each of these women made a name for herself by being polite and sharing her perspective and advice with readers. I doubt any of them would say it’s okay to mock and minimize another person or culture. And, if they heard Donald Trump today, they’d probably suggest charm school. (Too bad he can’t take his millions and millions of dollars and buy some manners.) In lieu of charm school, read this most excellent article by Sara Altschule at Bustle.com, 8 Etiquitte Tips That Will Make You Seem More Classy. All these suggestions are “politically correct” and easy to follow

I have a choice, you have a choice, we all have a choice: whether we use politically correct language or not. But truly, what can it hurt? Don’t you want to be acknowledged and respected? Isn’t this a simple common courtesy that is simple to extend to each other? All politics and beliefs aside.

We’re all in this together, whether we acknowledge it or not. H2H. Human to Human. So why not be respectful? Why not be politically correct?

#LoquaciousLindee

The word of the day is Patience.

For a cute reminder of the letter-of-the-day, watch Sesame Street’s tribute to the letter “P.”  Believe me, you’ll need patience to deal with today’s political scene. Especially Donald Trump.

The P word I want to focus on is Patience. Why? Because everyone wants it and I have it. At least in this moment I have it. It comes and goes; it’s fleeting, like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the quicker it leaves.

How is it I have it? Because “All things in God’s time.” That’s the Christian version. The Wiccan version: “As above so below.” New Agers would say: “All is well in all of creation.” The uncommitted might say “It is what it is.”

I have to believe everything is as it should be, because the alternative approach—to not believe–is living in fear.

Right now, Donald Trump is ravishing our nation. His reality-show presidential bid is getting exactly what he wants—ratings! He wants to win at all costs. But what he believes is repugnant. Disgusting, to use his favorite word. What he believes, his ideas for the nation, will cause calamity. He’ll put a target on our back.

We’ll be living in fear. A world where Trump is going to build our military and use it as a threat over other nations, leverage for when he needs to negotiate hard. He wants to go back to religious persecution. He points his fat fingers at people and says they are ISIS. He’s making this up as he goes. It’s like watching a WWF Smack-down match.

I’d say he’s a pig, but that’d be insulting to the pig. He’s a racist, a troll, a thug, and ironically exactly the opposite of what he wants to be. This man is a loser.

Trump is inciting violence. He brags that he could shoot someone and people would still love him. His rhetoric is so disturbing, calling people that don’t believe what he believes “bad.” So anyone who opposes what Trump thinks is “bad, a very bad person.” He says he’s a “unifier,” but his “us against them” mentality is empowering people to strike out. His crowd is turning ugly. As ugly as he is.

How do I know that Trump creates hate? Because his fans hate others. And because I hate him.

I don’t hate very often. I’m smarter, bigger, and better than that. I listen, I accept, and I believe we can all get along. We all come to this universal truth in our own time. Some never get to that understanding. Trump supporters obviously are not there. Neither is Trump.

That means I have to have patience, and belief, that people will come around; they’ll come to see, hear, and understand the maliciousness in his speech, his words. If they continue to watch him, hopefully they’ll see through the celebrity and see the monster.

President Obama says he’s not worried, he has faith; faith in the American people, that they won’t elect Trump. We’re smarter and better than that, Obama says. I choose to believe the same, and have patience that the American people will envision a better world than the one Trump presents. That people will act better than to follow Trump’s encouragement–to beat up those that don’t stand with him.

As I watch his nasty hate-filled face plastered on the TV, I choose to turn the channel, and watch Sesame Street, where P is the letter and Patience is the word.

And believe that “All is well in all of creation” if I just have Patience.

And that’s the word of the day. Patience.

#loquaciouslindee

I’m implementing a Mishap Management Plan. That means I’m being proactive; I’m preparing for trouble before it happens.

I’m a First Class Girl Scout, the equivalent of an Eagle Boy Scout. “Be Prepared,” was a part of my high school education. I was a Brownie in Kindergarten and worked my way through Juniors, Cadets, and finally to Seniors in my Senior year of high school. I earned over 50 badges, patches, and pins on topics such as: hospitality, sewing, cooking, camping, hiking, and first aid. Earning Girl Scout badges gave me information, skills, tools, and most importantly, confidence.

I was a Brownie in 1966; a Senior in 1980. It’s was a different world, a safer world, in my mind. That’s probably my perspective and age talking, but while I’m writing this, California just experienced another mass shooting at a government agency. Over 20 fatalities…this is so sad. And scary. Even more so today, a girl needs to be prepared.

In 2009, the Girl Scouts addressed that by adding the Emergency Preparedness Patch which they developed in conjunction with FEMA’s Citizen Corps. Their motto: Don’t be scared; be prepared.

Life is unpredictable, but with proper training—the right Girl Scout patch–and the right attitude, I can handle anything with grace, strength, and humor. With that in mind, I’ve created my own Mishap Management Patch so I can travel the country confidently knowing I’ve compiled the information I’ll need if I “trip and fall.”

Here are 8 Mishaps that could ruin a girl’s day—unless she was prepared:

  1. Missed flight
  2. Car accident or break down
  3. Lost or stolen wallet
  4. Lost or stolen phone
  5. Lost or stolen computer or locked out of an account
  6. Got hurt or sick
  7. Pulled over
  8. Someone’s got a gun

Follow along and create your own Mishap Management Plan.

Here is the information you’ll need to gather. Store information in your phone, on your laptop, on a thumb drive, and online. Consider carrying printed copies of the information as well.

 

  1. Missed flight
  • Company Contact (trainer) #:
  • Company Emergency travel #:
  • After hours emergency travel #:
  • Traveler card customer service #:
  • Download company travel app:
  • Download airline apps:

 

  1. Car accident or car break down
  • Driver’s license:
  • Registration: hard copy
  • Proof of insurance: card and app
  • Download insurance app:
  • Insurance: Progressive Report a Claim:
  • Insurance: Progressive Roadside Assist:
  • Traveler card customer service #:
  • Download Car Rental app

 

  1. Lost or stolen wallet
  • $40 in cash stash
  • Copy of driver’s license
  • Report bank and credit cards stolen: numbers in PW doc and home
  • Report to police

 

  1. Lost or stolen phone
  • Trip tickets and itineraries printed
  • Google maps printed
  • Important contacts: #s in PW doc
  • Backup:
  • Facebook as alternative contact method

 

  1. Lost or stolen computer or locked out of important account
  • Dropbox: training files and PW doc
  • Thumb drive: training files and PW doc
  • Email myself PW doc
  • Report to police
  • Serial #:
  • Serial #:
  • Last Pass app

 

  1. Got hurt or sick
  • Insurance:
  • Doctor:
  • Dentist:
  • ICE info on phone
  • Update my will

 

  1. Got pulled over
  • Driver’s license:
  • Registration: hard copy
  • Proof of insurance: card and app
  • Download insurance app:
  • Rental car papers
  • National Car app
  • Attorney #:

 

  1. Someone’s got a gun
  • Drop back; observe
  • Locate nearest exit
  • Locate nearest police or security officer
  • Leave

 

Hopefully I won’t be experiencing ANY of that above situations. But if I do, I’ve thought about it, prepared for it, and should come out unscathed—lookin’ and feelin’ fine.

So, there you have it, an outline for creating your own personal Mishap Management Plan. All you need to do now is fill in the blanks and collect the information.

Motivational speaker Brian Tracy says, “Prepare for the worst and then expect the best.” Basically, figure out the worst case scenario and then do everything within your power to make sure that worst case scenario doesn’t happen. Laying this solid foundation helps me feel capable and comfortable. It allows me to walk forward with faith, knowing I can handle whatever is coming my way.

And now, with all of our business taken care of, let’s look forward to what’s next! But that’s a different list. Stay tuned.

#loquaciouslindee

I find myself worrying about my dad today. He’s 82, in the hospital, and recovering from surgery. This is day 24.

The time for worry should be over. He’s made it through the tough part, the surgery; now, he’s just waiting for all the vital organs to wake-up. He’s on the mend. But I find myself worrying regardless.

Regardless, being the key. Regardless of looking at the situation logically and calmly, I’m looking past the good news and dwelling on the bad. That’s what worry is: a thought of bad things unwanted.

So instead of focusing on my feelings or thoughts of my dad’s recovery, I’ve begun thinking about what I’m worried about. “I’m worried” has become “I think.” If I’m free to truly think anything I want—and of course I am—in this case, today, I’ve been thinking about all the bad things that could happen. What would happen if I focused on the good? I wonder.

I wonder when Dad will be released from the hospital? I wonder what his faithful nurse, companion, and wife–aka MOM–are doing right now? I wonder how he’s getting through his Father’s Day in the hospital?

I worry, I think, I wonder. All questions of what will happen in the future. Bad, neutral, good. For me, thinking, focusing-in on my thoughts, expectations and outcomes makes it easier to think positively, optimistically, and hopefully.

We know things in life will go wrong, but why not focus on what could go right?

Why worry when you can wonder?

 

 

I’m in a “universal time-out.” I’m flat on my back, unable to put pressure on my spine due to searing back pain. No more work or play. Time to be still. Time-out.

I didn’t have a lot of things I had left to do this week. I accomplished a lion’s share, a whole pride of lions’ share of activities this week already: rearranging and spring cleaning my small place, two hot power fusion yoga classes, a dozen laps around the lake outside my house. All of that after two hours of hand-snapping fresh asparagus–after a twenty hour car ride to and from Iowa! I like to get things done, and I’d checked more than a few items off the to-do list.

And, I was just thinking last evening how strong I felt. I was trouncing my horseshoes opponent solidly 7 to 1.  Hmmm, could have been the horseshoes that put me over. Those lucky shoes were a bit harder than usual to heave. And in hind-sight, not such a great idea. Just thinking about them sets my back aflame.

So now, it is time to rest, and time to write.

There certainly are benefits from being in a universal time-out. I hadn’t updated my blog in months. I guess those horseshoes were lucky after all. I’m lucky to have this time, time to recover, and time-out.

#LoquaciousLindee