Information Overload
I left a little early from work to have lunch with Jacob, and now he is doing apprentice schoolwork, so I thought this would be a good time to write.
Is it me, or do you feel overwhelmed with information and moral angst? The level of frustration I feel is not typical for me, and I started thinking: what is really bothering me? If it is bothering me, is it bothering you too?
If you know anything about my story, you know how I was raised and by whom. Doris Jean was positive, loved everyone, and could see the bright side of any and every situation. I feel like I am failing her in some ways because I am really on the struggle bus lately.
Here's why:
1. So many people I love are struggling in their personal lives. So many of their troubles could be turned around if they believed they were worth a good life and started putting their words into action. Wishing things would change doesn't change anything. It is easy to say I am tired, but what are you doing to change things? We are all capable of change!
2. I am acutely aware that this life is short. We are not promised tomorrow; none of us are. I have a friend who is literally fighting for her life. She was diagnosed with cancer a couple of months ago (no symptoms), and she is receiving treatment. She taught me a new word yesterday: scanxiety. Her entire life is literally on hold until she gets these scans back and gets through chemo. I am sure she would not mind having the problems of the folks referenced in number 1, as at least they are not dealing with cancer and all of the unknowns that lie ahead. She is a fighter. We were texting yesterday, and she said this to me:
"There is a lot to be said when you have nowhere else to take what you are going through and nowhere else to go but to your knees and pray."
3. I have another sweet friend who is a caretaker for her husband, as he was diagnosed with FTD - Frontotemporal Dementia. The folks I mentioned in this post are in their forties and fifties. They are young and were handed something they were not expecting, and I am sure they never thought they would be in this space. Life is unpredictable; we are on this journey that has an expiration date, and we need one another to navigate through the good and bad times. For most of my life, I had the mindset that
I was good. I can do things alone. I almost took pride in it. We are here for connection, love, and to make a difference. God never said things would be easy, but he does say we won't have to go through it alone.
4. Politics are at a whole new level. This is where a lot of my frustration lies right now. I try hard not to watch much about the President, as it literally infuriates me. When I think he has reached his bottom, he sinks lower. His supporters are always quick to say he didn't say this or that, or that it was a joke. I find none of it funny. I am fairly intelligent, and I know what I hear. A country that was so respected by other countries has now become a laughing stock, an embarrassment. Doris Jean raised me to be honest and humble, two qualities he has proven he knows nothing about. I pray for this country, for us, all of us, republicans and democrats and everyone in between. When you get to the core of it all, we all pretty much want the same things. Affordable healthcare, to have our kids have it better than we did, safe schools, safe communities, affordable housing, equal and fair treatment of all of our citizens, lower utility and food costs, basically the things that will allow us to have a good quality of life, ALL OF US! I will have to limit myself on social media for a while, as my algorithm is nothing but Trump.
5. We are addicted to devices! Our kids are addicted to devices. We have to do better. We have to start spending time with each other. Stop allowing our kids to spend hours in their rooms on video games and their phones. These things are sucking the human side right out of us. Our phones have become extensions of our being.
6. This week we had two local Middle Schools with reports that guns were brought into school. I don't have to tell you that this too has become our norm. We have become immune to guns in schools. Interestingly, I started the Oprah podcast on guns yesterday. Give it a listen. We are the only developed country that has such horrific gun violence. I knew this, but the podcast brings it all together. Speaking of Oprah, I adore her and want to meet her. She is a mentor to me, and I believe we are aligned in so many ways. I wanted to put that out there in the universe. I have had visions of us sitting under a big tree speaking of Doris Jean.
Look, I am me - Jackie Armstrong, Jack, Queenie, Jack-ay, Lucky Duck, Baby Sis, AJ, and whatever else I am called. I love the Lord, my people, and I am and will forever be an optimist. Not because I have had an easy life, but because I have not had an easy life, and time after time God was waiting for me on the other side of grief, heartache, and pain. My prayers and thoughts today are for those who are struggling. Struggling to find happiness within themselves, those who are sabotaging themselves day after day, those who are tired but can't get out of their own way to make lasting changes. I pray for those who feel like they have no voice in a world that feels like it is screaming all around us. I pray we wake up as a country and understand that we all want basically the same things. I am an American first. Democrat and Republican have become the dirtiest of words. I pray for my friends who are living with their new normal. I pray for health, wellness, and renewed spirits.
Will you do me a solid and put your devices down a little more? Connect with your spouse, partner, kids, family, friends, and fur babies. Be present. You have a lot to offer. I am sure you can catch up with what Nicole is doing later. You know you are only seeing the good stuff anyway. The good stories, the good pictures, the stuff that doesn't depict what is really going on in Nicole's life.
Oh, I almost forgot. WOMEN, can we please normalize aging? I saw two people on social media recently who I would not recognize if I would have run into them on the street. No judgment if you want to have surgery, fillers, Botox, etc.; it is your face/body. I just hope you are not trying to keep up with this weird standard society seems to have placed on only women. I have been accused on several occasions of having duck lips, the way some say I pucker my lips; whatever! HAHA!! I say they naturally go that way. I couldn't imagine getting filler in them and then having them rest naturally! Oh, the talk!! I will say my hooded eyes are getting worse in my mid-fifties, and I totally want to have that fixed. It is starting to mess with my vision. People should do what makes them happy. It is the standard and pressure our society puts on women to look a certain way. I am just not a fan of the overinflated lips, super round eyes, and overfilled cheeks, but that is just me.
You are here for a reason! No matter what you tell yourself, you are a masterpiece. You should be happy and believe you deserve a peaceful life. We can make our own normal and march to the beat of our own drum. All of the hate in our country is something I choose not to be a part of. I am creating my own peace, my own rules, my own happiness. Be BOLD! Get after yours!
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