What the future holds

 It's taken me all month to mentally deal with the outcome of this election. I'm simply heartbroken. Our country is in a tough place. Like the serenity prayer I can't focus on what I cannot change. Watching each and every instagram post about politics is not going to make my life healthier. It's there and it's bad but I have other ways I want to finish off November.  Deep breath, more yoga, more reading. 

I've read a lot of great books the last few months and I've made a few good recipes. So let's talk about that...move over politics and welcome to the art of wintering or hygge.  We've got to nestle in and take care of ourselves so we will be ready for the next term. https://www.carleyfortune.com/I've discovered a new author, Carley Fortune, when I read a review about her latest book This Summer will be Different (2024); a love story set in Prince Edward Island. It's a fun read with interesting characters a a whole lot of twists. I've now read Every Summer After and I'm reading Meet Me at the Lake right now. I love the Libby app which has helped me read so many books this year. Suffering from insomnia (thank you menopause) I often read at night using my Kindle app on dark screen. I don't sleep with my phone but if I wake up or even worse, cant fall asleep then I turn to reading. Fortune's books have a fun premise, beautiful Canadian setting, romance and sex with an interesting set of characters.  The plots make sense and there isn't any abuse or negative dynamics. 

I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks  (2022)for book club and loved the back and forth timeline between the present and the past. I loved learning more about horse racing, Black history, and learning about the real people involved in this story. This was my first Brooks book; are there others I should read?

I read All The Colors of the Dark  (2024) by Chris Whitaker. I've never read anything else by him as well and this was a very interesting crime drama that circled the 1990's to present.  I fell in love with the characters and they way Whitaker told the story although it was long it was worth it. 

I read two amazing fantasy books, The Last Dragon on Mars (2024) by Scott Reintgen and The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) by TJ Klune. The Last Dragon is now circulating heavily at school by my students that love high fantasy dragon books like Eragon. Cerulean Sea is a beautiful love story that highlights the prejudices we see in the world and the hope to leave those behind (Yes, I see the connection between this and the election with my politics on high brain) 

It's so easy to disappear inside a book, a good story, a let it take you away from what is happening in real time.  

As far as recipes go I made this fabulous  tofurky by hand yesterday morning and it tasted delicious! Thanksgiving is a non holiday to us but we did have dinner with our son which was a nice way to spend the day. Food, cards, and conversation. Oh, there may have been some football on the screen and some reminiscing about our ancestors. I use a lot of NYT recipes because I get a discounted teacher subscription to the Times (not in love with them rn but I do love the cooking app) I made a deliciously easy carrot recipe for Thursday's meal and an amazingly flavorful tomato lentil soup yesterday. You'll have to google those. 

Keep your chins up and find your joy right now. We need to be ready to stand together as the awful things begin to happen and hope we can help our neighbors, friends, and those we don't know yet. Peace be with us. 

What will tomorrow bring?

This week our country will decide whether we have a civil society with a female president (about time) OR and it is a big OR we elect a bully who picks on people, loves to divide and uses  horrible scare tactics. He's not qualified to run the government and should not even be allowed to run for office. I still don't understand why we are holding off on his trials and sentencing. Harris and Walz have actually policies and ideas going forward while he stumbles and mumbles atrocious statements. If something happens to Liz Cheney he should be held accountable. He should still be held accountable for Jan. 6th. As a teacher I'm worried about what our education system will look like if he wins. 

I think of all the policies and programs that might be dismantled by a Trump second term and I'm scared so I have to focus on the positive and stay hopeful. I've had sleepless nights over the outcome of this election.  When I read comments on political posts I feel sick so I have to turn my phone off. Why do so many Americans view him as the better choice with the lies, conspiracy theories, hatred, and misogynist view point?  

I understand that there is a group of men out there who feel disenfranchised and want to be heard because life is not what they thought it would be. Our America turned out different and this has them angry. I'm most confused about women who are following Trump even with statements like he'll take care of women whether they want him to or not. Would you want your daughter left alone with him? He is a lecherous  human being and I wish we had the Jeffrey Epstein photos available. I think of his cheating and the things he has said about his daughter. 

I am shocked by the amount of lies and criminal behavior average Americans are willing to forgive for him.  I’m nervous for our country in the aftermath of this election no matter who wins. And I'm tired of the ads and my phone blowing up with pleas for help.  I donate regularly and that's probably why but I've already voted and want them to stop acting as though only I can save the democracy. 

Jill Stein isn’t helping my stress either! For years I've wanted a viable third or fourth option but we are not there yet and she is only diverting attention away at a time when we need to be laser focused on a loss for the Republican party and a Win for the Democratic party.  I know we need work; we are not a perfect party and she's not a perfect candidate but right now it is far too important.  I remember listening to his press conferences during the beginning days of the pandemic and I can't go back. Most people should not want to go back to that...

I've already voted for Harris/Walz and I hope this is what the mass majority of Americans will do. Vote for sanity and hopefully a return to a less divided nation.