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Made using Bitmoji[/caption]
Like many others, it was hard to function yesterday. I'm still upset, but I've had more sleep and I've read a lot. I've also seen a lot on social media, some of which includes things that have yet to be corroborated or have been debunked by sites like Snopes, but I digress.
There will be many challenges ahead. You must have courage to face them. When things seem hopeless, I find what is in my realm of control and do something about those things. This is what keeps me going.
Yesterday, I felt awful. We don't know yet the full consequences and won't for some time. What do we know?
We still have to eat, do laundry, and care for loved ones. We still have jobs and bills. The sun still rises.
Your goals may be harder to achieve in some ways. I find breaking goals down into smaller pieces helps me. As an example, my martial arts grading is happening at the end of this month. There are things that can't be improved before then. I'm just not advanced enough or I've picked up some bad habits that I can't break in time. That's okay.
What can I control? I can ensure my sword tip is in the right place by practicing putting my body under it as I move and by keeping the meaning of the kata at the forefront of my mind. I can also show confidence during my grading. I can practice my etiquette repeatedly. I can practice with a timer. I can practice all the kata as much as possible. So I don't have to worry as much about my outfit looking right, I sewed my juban into my gi:
I can't control what the future will bring. No matter how much I prepare, the judges are completely within their rights to fail me for just about any reason they can find.
I can control whether I put positivity or negativity out on my blog.
I can also practice self care by taking myself out of situations that I find too stressful and by eating properly, exercising, learning new things, making new friends, decompressing with a movie, etc.
The world isn't over. Take one day at a time.
And when you're ready, take reasonable actions that make a difference. Attacking the other side just increases hatred and violence. The revolutionaries of the past didn't make change happen by vandalizing things. They stood up on a bus and said no.
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From QuotationOf.com[/caption]
Being positive doesn't mean ignoring reality. Self defense classes may be good for learning to protect yourself and loved ones while helping you deal with the stress of the future.
Art is another good outlet. Writing, painting, drawing, music, leatherwork, jewellery, pottery, rope making, knitting, crocheting, beading, smithing, photography, etc.
Read. Read things to escape. Read things to learn. Read things to figure out how to make it better.
Find others with whom to fight in a way that isn't filled with arson, violence, and hatred. If someone damaged my car, I wouldn't think their claims of not being an asshole were valid. The way you do things matters almost as much as the thing you are doing.
And if it gets too bad, seriously consider moving. Think about going to a swing state where you can make a difference in the future. If you do decide that Canada is the place to go, go to a smaller city and open a business. We have job shortages too. Read about places in Canada that need help. If you love snow and can do physical labour, there is an island in the East called Cape Breton that needs people.
I will leave you with a nice video about things said by an amazing woman named Maya.
Ciao,
R~
Made using Bitmoji[/caption]Like many others, it was hard to function yesterday. I'm still upset, but I've had more sleep and I've read a lot. I've also seen a lot on social media, some of which includes things that have yet to be corroborated or have been debunked by sites like Snopes, but I digress.
There will be many challenges ahead. You must have courage to face them. When things seem hopeless, I find what is in my realm of control and do something about those things. This is what keeps me going.
Yesterday, I felt awful. We don't know yet the full consequences and won't for some time. What do we know?
We still have to eat, do laundry, and care for loved ones. We still have jobs and bills. The sun still rises.
Your goals may be harder to achieve in some ways. I find breaking goals down into smaller pieces helps me. As an example, my martial arts grading is happening at the end of this month. There are things that can't be improved before then. I'm just not advanced enough or I've picked up some bad habits that I can't break in time. That's okay.
What can I control? I can ensure my sword tip is in the right place by practicing putting my body under it as I move and by keeping the meaning of the kata at the forefront of my mind. I can also show confidence during my grading. I can practice my etiquette repeatedly. I can practice with a timer. I can practice all the kata as much as possible. So I don't have to worry as much about my outfit looking right, I sewed my juban into my gi:
I can't control what the future will bring. No matter how much I prepare, the judges are completely within their rights to fail me for just about any reason they can find.
I can control whether I put positivity or negativity out on my blog.
I can also practice self care by taking myself out of situations that I find too stressful and by eating properly, exercising, learning new things, making new friends, decompressing with a movie, etc.
The world isn't over. Take one day at a time.
And when you're ready, take reasonable actions that make a difference. Attacking the other side just increases hatred and violence. The revolutionaries of the past didn't make change happen by vandalizing things. They stood up on a bus and said no.
[caption width="1680" align="alignnone"]
From QuotationOf.com[/caption]Being positive doesn't mean ignoring reality. Self defense classes may be good for learning to protect yourself and loved ones while helping you deal with the stress of the future.
Art is another good outlet. Writing, painting, drawing, music, leatherwork, jewellery, pottery, rope making, knitting, crocheting, beading, smithing, photography, etc.
Read. Read things to escape. Read things to learn. Read things to figure out how to make it better.
Find others with whom to fight in a way that isn't filled with arson, violence, and hatred. If someone damaged my car, I wouldn't think their claims of not being an asshole were valid. The way you do things matters almost as much as the thing you are doing.
And if it gets too bad, seriously consider moving. Think about going to a swing state where you can make a difference in the future. If you do decide that Canada is the place to go, go to a smaller city and open a business. We have job shortages too. Read about places in Canada that need help. If you love snow and can do physical labour, there is an island in the East called Cape Breton that needs people.
I will leave you with a nice video about things said by an amazing woman named Maya.
Ciao,
R~