perspective Year three…
Relax, nothing is in control
W
e are now officially in year three of the pandemic in America. The first case here was confirmed on January 20, 2020 in Washington state. And what a long, strange road it’s been since then. I think that we’re all getting a little weary and sometimes it comes out sideways. Plenty of signs and statistics show how we’re fraying, and not just at the edges, but also as a country, communities, and in our personal interactions as we go about our day. People are ruder to servers. Road rage is up. Fuses are just shorter. Tolerance for the viewpoints of others is shrinking. Drug and alcohol use is up. I think we have a natural tendency to want to feel in control of our worlds, from the big picture to our smaller personal spheres. Although I believe that security and control are illusions, I recognize that we seek them to feel more comfortable. I’ve found that when I accept insecurity and lack of control, I’m able to relax more into the day. I’m more open to letting whatever is going to happen happen. It’s the resisting what is that causes so much anxiety. The philosopher Alan Watts said: "The desire for security and the feeling of insecurity are the same thing. To hold your breath is to lose your breath. A society based on the quest for security is nothing but a breath-retention contest in which everyone is as taut as a drum and as purple as a beet. So we’re anxious because we want everything to be alright and we want the world to follow our view of it. If we mask and we’re vaccinated, we want everyone to be that way. If we get our news from a particular source, we want everyone to share that world view. And if things in our life don’t line up just how we’ve planned them then we get “taut as a drum and purple as a beet.” By now, I think we’re best off if we just accept that there are many ways to see the world and to live in the world and that our way of seeing things is just one narrow point of view. Someone else can see the same situation and have a very different way of interpreting it. Can we relax enough with what the world offers us and not constantly be wishing for it to be different than it is? That is one key to happiness. As John Milton wrote, “The mind is its own place and, in itself, can make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven.” I think we have an especially appropriate lineup of stories for you this month. Check out Lynn Nichols’ stories about parenting with positivity and dealing with anger. Lea Hanson writes about online safety and Emily Zaynard discusses body boundaries. For fun, try Theresa Baer’s articles. One gives you some solid ways to try birding with the family and the other is about escape rooms, which somehow fits for now, if not without a little irony from what I wrote earlier. Relax, nothing is in control, Scott 6
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FEBRUARY 2022 • Volume 25, Issue 9 PUBLISHER Scott Titterington, (970)221-9210 scott.rmpublishing@gmail.com EDITOR Kristin Titterington, (970)221-9210 kristin.rmpublishing@gmail.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Emily Zaynard emily.rmpublishing@gmail.com ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Greg Hoffman, (970)689-6832 greg.rmpublishing@gmail.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Susan Harting susan.rmpublishing@gmail.com COVER PHOTO
Cheri Schonfeld www.skysopendesign.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Theresa Baer, Lea Hanson, Lynn U. Nichols, Emily Zaynard
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