So, back to real life. I'm feeling a little better about things than I was on Tuesday morning. For one thing, I got that spare router mailed off, so hopefully I'll avoid the fee from BT and I still have our main router to provide Internet. One minor issue crossed off the list.
Also, I'm seeing glimmers of hope in the political world. Of course Elon is still swinging his chainsaw through the federal government, but I'm heartened by the fact that the judicial response to Trump's brutality -- against both faithful government workers and powerless immigrants -- has been one of rejection. He's getting shot down left and right, legally speaking. Whether he ultimately abides by any of these rulings, who knows, but it shows the system is working so far and his overenthusiastic embrace of executive power is not going unchecked.
The Democratic victory in the Wisconsin judicial race gave me a boost, and although Republicans won the Florida races, they didn't win by as much as expected. (Knowing Florida and its voters, I don't see it turning blue anytime soon -- unless Trump destroys Medicare and Social Security, which Florida voters would never forgive.)
And Cory Booker! There are signs of life in the Democratic party.
Work continues at a busy pace. I know I haven't responded to comments here in several days, but I am reading them all. I just haven't had time during the day. I generally write blog posts in the morning, respond to comments during my workday and read other blogs in the afternoon/evening. This schedule has been shaken up by my workload lately.
You don't need to hear all the details of what I've been doing at work -- mostly building and taking down displays and covering new books, in between dealing with students and working part-time in the Lower School. I told my boss I was stressed by my doubled workload (and static paycheck) since my full-time co-worker left last fall. She suggested I pace myself on some of these new tasks, so I'm going to do that. Book covering may take a few days rather than me plowing through them all at once.
I am at an age where I feel the physical effects of my job more and more. After covering a stack of new books and shelving a cartload of old ones, my hands get sore. Getting up and down off the floor is harder. All perfectly natural and even expected, but still sobering when it's happening to my body!
I'm going to try to more frequently employ the approaches of my Zen practice from 20 (!) years ago -- deep breathing, pausing the "stories" spinning through my mind, noticing what's really happening.
Overall mood: Improving.
Thankfully it sounds like you have a boss sensitive to staff needs... although replacing that other worker would be the best thing
ReplyDeleteShe does listen to me, I'll give her that. Many of the changes facing our workplace have been out of her control.
Delete"Overall mood: Improving" That's good.
ReplyDeleteI am also very glad that people are beginning to stand up to and possibly thwart, Trump.
Is it possible any of the students would like to experience what it's like to be a librarian? They could learn by helping you one day a week?
We tried that for a while but attendance was spotty at best!
DeleteGetting the router mailed off is a win, and the political landscape, while still turbulent, has some encouraging signs
ReplyDeleteIt's promising to see people officially standing up to Trump even in limited ways.
DeleteI noticed that as I approached 60 my body .. and brain .. seemed to slow down considerably. Early retirement (on a reduced pension) was my remedy!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really hadn't noticed many physical signs of aging until the last year or so. I'm feeling it more now!
DeleteI love these photos. I sometimes manage to pause the spinning stories. And sometimes I even remember to breathe.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how powerful our stories are. I can send myself into a rage sitting alone in a room!
DeleteI picture your boss flicking through women's magazines in her office with her feet up on the desk. She is wearing leather thigh boots with stiletto heels. Her cigarette is in a long, black cigarette holder. She does not believe in stress.
ReplyDeleteThat's fairly accurate, except she doesn't smoke. :)
Delete#47 is always so chipper, but in the background, things aren't really going his way as he would have hoped.
ReplyDeleteEven when he's chipper, it's in a hateful way.
DeleteI'm glad to hear you're feeling better. The Wisconsin victory and Cory Booker have given me the first hope I've had in months that maybe, just maybe, we can survive this madness.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful blue sky, too!
Yeah, he HAVE had great weather lately! I think we will survive Trump. I'm not even sure how lasting his changes will be if the courts keep reversing him.
DeletePacing yourself is the right thing to do, though you'll probably find it hard at first. There is always tomorrow . . .
ReplyDeleteExactly!
DeleteI'm glad you talked to your boss and yes, good advice. (A raise would be better, but you take what you can get, right?) Yesterday and the day before were good days for American politics (apart from the tariffs). You're right about Florida - it probably won't change but narrowing the margins might helps a lot in the long run, especially in the midterms and beyond.
ReplyDeleteI think it shows a growing skepticism about Trump and his policies, not just in Florida but everywhere.
DeleteI have been very selectively controlling my intake of news these days. So much hysteria being dished out by influencers. I too am heartened to see the judicial branch earning their keep these days. I am one who still has faith in our court system. Unlike other branches, they tend to find middle ground in many of their rulings and not let the extremes dictate.
ReplyDeleteThe recent election cycle didn't much surprise me. They always go against the ruling party or in the case of Florida, get lower margins of victory. The only real noteworthy thing to me was that Wisconsin voters enshrined "voter ID" laws into their constitution while still appointing a left leaning judge. That reaffirms to me there is middle ground out there.
I don't understand the admiration for Booker taking up 25 hours of time essentially doing nothing but stating the obvious instead of spending that time trying to advance meaningful legislation. I doubt anyone was listening to anything he said. It was just a political stunt to get his name in the news for a possible presidential run. Although no fan of Trump, it is way to early to start another election cycle. Let us survive this one first, which according to many extreme influencers, probably is unlikely to happen.
Booker's resistance may have been largely symbolic but I think to many of us it seemed significant. Many Democratic leaders have seemed voiceless in the face of the Trump tsunami.
DeleteI have faith in the courts too. But I don't have faith that Trump will follow their rulings. What happens when some of these cases work their way to the Supreme Court and the verdict still goes against him? Will he simply ignore it? Constitutional crisis!
I don't share your opinion that Trump-critical press coverage is simply hysteria or scaremongering. We have to ask questions about where we're headed and the kind of country we want to be.
Thus far, he has obeyed court rulings by the Supreme court, even district courts though the recent stop on a plane load of immigrants may be a bit iffy in that regard. I've heard pretty convincing arguments both ways. I guess time will tell.
DeleteI spent my career in manufacturing. For our products, we always had several alternative suppliers that we could order things from in a pinch and gave us the leverage to bargain down prices. It is a prudent business practice. Yet 95% of the media talks on tariffs never mention this fact and simply multiply the tariff by the current price and then interview someone who will be affected and has "no other choice". Always it is the worst case scenario. This is the kind of hysteria I see that pervades our media. They even freely admit they have a saying for it. "If it bleeds it sells." Unfortunately, we humans tend to focus on and remember the worst case scenarios so it adding fuel to the fire.
I should add the caveat that mainly I am talking about video news organizations and not print journalism.
P.S. You make a fair point about Booker and I agree with your assessment of some of the Democratic leaders.
DeleteI think pacing is good. Maybe some tasks can be postponed indefinitely, too.
ReplyDeleteThat is a possible outcome as well!
DeleteOnly Queen Olga Girl Completes Your Improving Mood - And Of Course My Recommendation Is Body Work - Interview A Few Bodyworkers And Make It Happen
ReplyDeleteStay Strong ,
Cheers
I do have a fantastic Thai massage place nearby. I should go get one.
DeleteBooker set the bar and the other Dems need to rise up!
ReplyDeleteExactly! The response has been too quiet and too fragmented. Dems need to step it up.
DeletePacing yourself is good advice. Easier said than done sometimes. How fast the year is zooming already. You will be closing up for summer before you know it. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI am SO ready for summer vacation. :)
DeleteLove the sky and blossoms photo so much!
ReplyDelete"Pace yourself"? Excuse me. The fact of the matter is, you're still going to have to get more done than your original job description called for and for the same pay.
I like Boud's advice.
Yes, that is absolutely true. More work and less money -- it's the way of the world.
DeleteAmen to what Ms. Moon said - sure it's fine to pace yourself, but where's the compensation for the extra work???
ReplyDeleteWhen I've talked to my boss about feeling overwhelmed she seemed to think I should just not work as hard or as many hours. But I'm pretty sure she'd still want the work to be done. So, slack off & get reprimanded when a task isn't complete? Or work harder (& definitely not smarter - I get sloppier the more hours I work)? It's a conundrum!
Exactly -- that's the problem. I can take longer to do things but is that really a satisfactory solution? I feel like I'm just setting myself up for criticism in that case.
DeleteIt sounds like you are doing one and a half jobs. Replacing a full-time person with a half- time person assumes others are going to do more work.
ReplyDeleteIf you can go half-time, I would. Even floating the idea might encourage the hire of another person.
That's basically true. I have absorbed half of my former co-worker's position.
DeleteGood to hear the positive outlook has given you a lift. It's hard these days. The Wisconsin news was comforting as were the margins in Florida. As for work, good luck with the pacing. It took me a very long time to learn how to do that.
ReplyDeleteThere's definitely a balance. You can't slow down too much or you're obstruction forward motion and the work will pile up!
DeleteThere are glimmers of hope in the world. I think once some of these policies are in place for a while and make things worse, things will change rapidly.
ReplyDeleteI hope that's true. I hope they wake people up.
DeleteMeditation, mindful thinking, prayer..... anything that can get you to slow down, become aware of your breathing, and relax is helpful. Looking at beautiful things in nature helps, too. Your last photo is lovely.
ReplyDeleteYes, I get incredible sustenance from my garden and my photography. I don't know what I'd do without them.
DeleteAs a Wisconsinite, I am very pleased by the outcome of our state supreme court election. My city also elected its first black (and out gay) mayor. im a fan of Corey Booker's Senate marathon as well. It's very worthwhile to build resistance and state facts. It IS action. As for aging, adapting is about all we can do.
ReplyDeleteThe upper Midwest is often very centrist, and I find it heartening that those people are voting the way they are! I hope that bodes well for the midterms.
DeleteYour reflections on pacing yourself are so relatable—life can feel like a whirlwind, and it’s inspiring to see you finding balance amidst the chaos. The political glimmers of hope you mentioned are a reminder that progress often comes in small steps. And your Zen practice sounds like a grounding way to navigate the physical and mental demands of your work.
ReplyDeleteZen practice can be grounding, but it can also be quite tedious!
DeleteYour re-newed practices of mindfulness should help you. Remember, we all get old(er) and don't run marathons (on tracks or in life) anymore. Chill, baby!
ReplyDeleteI have never been good at giving myself permission to relax.
DeleteThere are certain movements I try to avoid and one of them is kneeling or crouching on the floor. I'm quite a bit older than you with former runner's knees. My grandsons keep me active although I draw the line at doing piggy back rides or a lot of lifting. They think I'm young enough to do anything and everything--which is sweet, but dangerous.
ReplyDeleteYeah, being on my knees is really hard and I have to do it in the library now and then. And I'm about to start inventory, which involves a LOT of floor time!
DeleteIt is about balance, grasshopper. (Said she who still struggles with the concept...)
ReplyDeleteDo as I say, not as I do! :)
DeleteI will take any smidgen of good news I can get, but anyone who thinks Trump is going to adhere to judicial rulings hasn't been paying attention. And then there are those ludicrous tariffs, apparently arrived at by a crude formula based on the trade deficit, a formula published by the US Trade Representative, which considers only trade in goods, not services.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that you had that conversation with your supervisor. Communication is critical to job satisfaction.
I don't think Trump cares about services. He cares about manufacturing -- manly jobs where people work in loud factories and wield heavy tools (at least in his mind).
DeleteAny good news in the current environment is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I'll take it!
Delete