“One day you’re waiting for the sky to fall
The next you’re dazzled by the beauty of it all”
I was listening to a cool chill mix on Spotify the other day, and they played Bruce Cockburn’s Lovers in a Dangerous Time. This line seemed to personify how we’re all feeling right now, waiting for the sky to fall like Chicken Little*.
We all have different coping mechanisms. I’m ashamed to admit mine is to retreat into my writing and to my little lake where I can watch the mist rise on the shoreline, listen to the birdsong, and wait for the spring crocuses to appear. Escapism at its finest.
In my heart, I know this is no solution. I wish I was a better person. I wish I was like Carol, the wife of a fellow proctor at Queen’s University who officially retired years ago but keeps working at an outreach program operating out of one of the churches in Kingston, helping people on the street get warm food and shelter. Her response to the unfathomable problem of homelessness and drug use is to volunteer and make a difference.
Or like the millions of Americans in all 50 US states who took to the streets in the No Kings protests yesterday to raise their voices against Trump and his administration’s policies.
That’s not me. I choose to cope by living my small life, making a difference where I can.
Perhaps the ever wise and socially and environmentally conscious Cockburn has provided us with the answer. When the world seems out of control, look for the dazzling beauty in it all.
A magnificent sunrise or sunset. A child’s smile or laughter. The first snow drops or bluebells peeping through the frozen ground. Signs of hope and renewal.
Now it’s your turn to share. What do you do to cope when the world seems to be falling apart and you’re waiting for the sky to fall? Leave a comment below.
*a European folk tale about a chicken who believes the world is ending
Happy Act 
From David Dawson in Melbourne Australia
when all the news is dire and ridiculously depressing and well out of my control; when I feel, after watching the ABC Evening news from New York and the BBC News at 10 from London that we are all trapped in a bad novel that should have been rejected by the authors editor immediately as being too OTT ( over the top ) and far to self-indulgent by the main players; when I cringe as I pay for petrol that has gone from $1.40 to $3 a litre and I realize that we are living pawns in a sociopathic game of chicken and we see the main protagonists are completely unanswerable to anyone or anything. Perhaps God Sends us the leaders we deserve or perhaps we didn’t treasure our delicate democracies enough and we let them run lose and no surprise they were snatched up by a mercenary bad guy who only cares about having the last word which I may point out is a very low currency value in the fabric of life.
But here we are and there is no escape in reality. Just got to put on your big boy pants and press ahead…it takes courage but we all can reach that courageous state and the goodness and righteous spirit of the people will prevail but it will be a journey and we will all suffer as we adapt to do without in order reach the plateau of the righteous.
AND WHILE ALL THAT IS HAPPENING I ALWAYS REWARD MYSELF ; for every 20 minutes of horrible reality news that is just horrible I always give myself 20 minutes of another reality that is unbelievable but on the other end of the spectrum…. The DREW CARY SHOW…. in my next life I want to have at least one day at the nude beach with Mimi and a huge palate of paint…after she’s BEEN made a colour complete masterpiece then I’d get Oswald and the other guy to wash her off in the ocean and then give my palate of paint to someone else while I frolic with Drew Cary in the surf. I’d bring a packed lunch for us all like at the tennis and life would just be a dream in a dream for just a moment.
it’s the small reward that makes the rest of the teadium bearable. I’m sure that’s why one Godiva chocolate worth every morsel to some one who is skint.
incidentally I had a mate who was very flat broke. I saw that he was buying Ludpac butter from Denmark which was very very expensive in Australia. I asked him why and he turned to me and with a very very determined tone said “ I can taste the difference!”.
I love SO much in this David, particularly for every 20 minutes of direness, to indulge in 20 minutes of frivolty or fun news and the line, sometimes you just have to put on your big girl or boy pants!
You have expressed what we sensitive types have been feeling. I can commiserate.
Although the news of world events is disturbing, I remind myself that they are not within my control. I follow trusted news sources, progress updates from Canada’s Prime Minister and my Member of Parliament. I donate monthly to humanitarian organizations like UNHCR and MSF, trusting they are doing what they can to alleviate pain and lift people out of despair. By joining a well-established organization like Rotary International, one can join millions of members to support funding and action that helps communities on our continent and afar.
As a fellow retiree, I continue to volunteer time and skills with local organizations. It gets me out of the house to socialize and witness expressions of belonging and relief, like people enjoying the ambience and free services at a local library. I push myself to get out for fresh air and walks in nature, to accompany a neighbour on a grocery run. Small gestures and experiences can help balance the feelings. When I return home, I appreciate my creature comforts like reading or watching comedies on various screens.
Thank you.
I think we can all relate to your thoughtful comment. When we feel helpless, perhaps the greatest balm is to help others where we can
Sometimes I sit back and contemplate how upside down and bizarre the world has become.
Ben Stein became a celebrity when he was cast as the teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. The monotone drawl he used in the movie, causing his students to nod off, made him famous. He is an economist and was a speechwriter for Richard Nixon before Nixon resigned from office. He felt Nixon was punished too severely for giving his blessing to a bush league break-in of the Watergate apartments. The scandal, which brought down the Nixon administration, would just be another “daily news barrage” of the Trump presidency.
Why do I mention this?
Stein’s iconic monologue was largely improvised but was based on fact. “In 1930, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, in an effort to alleviate the effects of the Great Depression, passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act. It did not work, and the United States sank deeper into the Great Depression.”
This doesn’t sound anything like something that might make me happy. The ironic twist to this is my son inherited my deep interest in politics and history. I remember discussing the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act with him after we watched the movie (I think he was eight years old – my apologies Jake for giving you the OCD history nerd gene). What this has given us is the ability to have intelligent, fact based conversations about current events. He’s a smart guy and has surprised me a few times with his take on things from a Gen Z perspective. We sit down over coffee and have healthy debates. Cherish the small blessings in life.