Calm before and amidst the Storms

 

They say we are going to have a winter storm overnight. 

Predictions call for five inches in the valley and eight inches above 3,000 feet.  The folks at Schweitzer will be happy, even though the numbers will be down since vacation has ended. 

So glad the rain stopped mid-afternoon yesterday to see the standing water and lakes diminish, along with much of the ice. 

I'm still wearing my trax cuz the latter is not all gone nor is the water.  Still, it's manageable, and if the warm temps will last through today, maybe those conditions will become memories before the next weather event. 

If that happens, and if it just snows and then turns cold, we should be in good shape for actually enjoying some winter. 

I think it's important to maintain both of the above in this world of uncertainty. 

I can remember working under a leader of questionable integrity and motives several years ago.  

The stability and normalcy my colleagues and I had all known for years suddenly turned upside down. 

Expectations changed from reasonable to bordering insane day to day.  A certain amount of divisiveness and turmoil, both inner and outer, reigned supreme in this microcosm day after day, week after week. 

Comfort zones: there were none.

At a low point during that school year, when I was at my wits' end and expressed to Bill that I did not think I could stand any more of the chaos, the questionable leadership and ineptitude, Bill calmly said, "Marianne, the time will come when he will be gone and you will still be there doing what you know how to do best." 

Bill was right.  The so-called leader eventually destroyed himself and left town.  

Those wise words have been etched in my brain ever since.

I hold great hope that Bill's words will ring true once again before I leave this earth. 

In the meantime, I cling to some other words which were formulated in my brain over several years of teaching and dealing with the politics than often distracted us or even upset our respective apple carts. 

When it gets unbearable, simply go into your classroom, shut the door and do what you know best: teach the children. 

I don't teach the children anymore and I don't have a classroom where I can shut the door on the outside world, but I do know for sure that we remain somewhat stable when we do what we know how to do and control what we have the power to control.

We can make a daily effort of doing whatever we do best.  

I also remember the oft-used cliche:  you can't take care of others if you don't take care of yourself. 

So true. 

So, in the midst of this world of daily chaos and distraction, uncertainty and raging skepticism, I know how to take care of my animals and our home, and I'm pretty good at making the most of every day with positive actions. 

I also know that there are many, many wonderful, inspiring and solid souls in our respective worlds still constantly toiling for the benefit of humanity. 

Let us work even harder to follow their examples.  

In doing so, let us be our best selves so as not to give up on our values and succumb to the insanity. 

Let us be reminded by these exemplary people in our respective circles of what is most important in our job description as inhabitants of this earth. 

And, please let us us cling to the importance of keeping informed with the best informed, the most professional and the most credible aka real sources we can find. 

That's all we can do, and if we hold tightly the principles that have driven us this far in life, maybe just maybe we'll be equipped to weather the storms and still be around when the world turns back to a relative state of sanity. 

That's all, 'cept for some health tips below. 

Happy Monday.  

from the New York Times Newsletter

In this year’s Well Challenge, I’m going to show you that there are real, practical steps you can take to protect your brain health, and help you get those habits started.

These aren’t gimmicky health hacks — in fact, some of the behaviors probably aren’t that surprising. But the science behind how they affect brain health is fascinating.

Move those muscles. The brain shrinks with age, typically starting in a person’s 30s, and exercise is one of the few ways to counteract that loss. Getting your heart rate up can cause a cascade of molecular changes in your brain, which help to build new connections between neurons and repair damaged cells. Grill some salmon. Eating fatty fishes can help brain cells communicate more efficiently.  That’s because the omega-3 acids they contain help to insulate the nerve fibers carrying information from one brain cell to another. Get more sleep. The brain has a self-cleaning mechanism, called the glymphatic system, that helps clear out the protein amyloid, which is a major contributor to Alzheimer’s disease. But that system only cranks into high gear during sleep.