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These Montana deer have the right idea! The land they rest on was theirs before white men settled the West. Tired of playing second fiddle to human engineering, they decided to reclaim their piece of ground. "If you can't lick "em, jine (join) 'em," Senator Watson said in an Atlantic Monthly article in 1932. If you can't outdo your rivals, you may as well cooperate with them and gain whatever advantage is possible.

  Take Back Your Life!

Since Covid, I've heard more people speak of feeling lost than I ever heard before. Though the pandemic is waning, stress is going viral. People are upset by changing weather patterns and storms appearing where they never had before. The California bomb cyclone flooded streets a few blocks from my grandson and his fiancé's new house in Santa Cruz. They were among the lucky ones who only lost a few shingles. But for days the highway was closed, making it impossible for them to show up at work. My brother in Fort Meyers was not as fortunate when their home suffered a $250,000 loss from flooding.

  As a Unitarian lay minister, listening to tales of woe is part of my calling. Congregants fear armed shooters and are afraid of road rage on highways. They get angry at those who speed through family neighborhoods and don't stop at stop signs. Though they no longer wear masks, they still worry about crowded spaces. They are fearful of losing their jobs after hearing that Microsoft cut their workforce by 10,000 and Amazon by 18,000. Starbucks closed 400 locations for safety reasons over the past two years and is planning more. Too many thieves are robbing their tills. Walmart put 160 plus stores on the chopping block because of theft. Homelessness continues to rise along with inflation and potholes aren't filled, causing angst to escalate. The feeling of unease permeates our bodies.

  Manipulative, lying politicians add to the nation's malaise The inability of the government to solve our problems has led to distrust. Instead of compromising, people gravitate to those who want to take matters into their own hands as they do. We have become tribal like third-world countries, ready to squash those who don't think the same way. We use warrior words in fights over abortion, gay rights, the environment, social security, and more. And we sit idle while the police mow down mentally ill people and fill prisons with those self-medicating with drugs. Angst

  No longer do noise restriction laws limit construction workers to start at nine and end at five. Hammers and leaf blowers can be used from early morning to sundown, seven days a week, rain or shine. The pounding makes it impossible to have a conversation on your balcony or enjoy dinner in your backyard. Except for the crows, you can't hear the birds. Angst and more angst.

  The medical profession offers little help other than getting patients addicted to pills. Doctor visits of limited duration or through video conferencing end with a prescription without having been examined. Primary care physicians are quick to pass them off to specialists demanding higher copays. Angst.

  A cup of brewed Starbucks coffee is $ 2.10 ($765 yr.), a Late $4.25 ($1,551 yr) plus a tip. Outrageous! It's rare to hear please and thank you from servers and impossible to find assistance in big box stores. You are on your own to find out how to fix a leaking toilet or unplug a garbage disposal without having to pay upwards of $200. Angst.

  Okay! Enough. You get the point. The country has gone bonkers, but that's how it is. The question of how to keep from succumbing to despair is the big challenge of our time.

  My formula is simple, don't complain, find balance, and keep dreaming. Never look back for the past is gone. Today and tomorrow are all there is. And don't worry twice. Though staying informed is important, dwelling on what might or might not happen is ludicrous. What is the sense of worrying in advance about what might happen, when you will have to live through it when it happens? The two worries are not the same.

  I knew a man who wore a rubber band on his wrist that he snapped when having a depressing thought. It reminded him to think of something positive. He was particularly taken in by opinionated talking heads on newscasts. The snaps helped him remember that they are not the news and that what they think rarely matters.

  Most of all, never give up hope. Our dreams are how we make sense of our lives, and hope motivates us to make our dreams come true. If you can have fun while doing so, so much the better. Laughter relieves the stress of everyday toil and being with people you enjoy, lightens your burdens.

  Thinking positive thoughts and living stress-free doesn't just happen. It takes thought and determination to stay balanced. But it is the best way I know to be in control of your life.

         Dream Summer, Acrylic painting on canvas. 24” x 20” Shipped to your haouse in the Continental USA for #390. For information contact me at [email protected].

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