Want to take a break from the news?
Here are the sidebar images from June.
How can it be literally half a year since we started doing these?
The pics below are in no particular order. Click on any image below to see the full-size.
Taking a Break from the News
BlueGuitarist
Thank you for the fabulous pictures!
Lapassionara
These are one of my favorite reasons to visit Balloon-juice. Thanks, WaterGirl
Layer8Problem
The lovely pictures are truly soothing, thanks!
NotMax
Not news per se, the history of that airport in the Everglades.
H.E.Wolf
At first glance: soothing.
At second glance: restorative.
At third glance: Wow, we have so many outstanding photographers on this blog! Many thanks to you all.
Ruckus
I used to have high blood pressure. But then I stopped watching TV news, reading newspapers, going anywhere on the web that people discuss what they saw on TV news or read in their newspaper.
I’m an old fart, over 3/4 of a century old and just want to enjoy my walks, a bit of food and really, really do not want to have to think about how asinine half (or more! less?) of politics (and therefore likely humanity) is.
Miss Bianca
@H.E.Wolf: right?? Hard pressed to pick a favorite – tho I am sensing a theme in soothing water scenes and cute animals…
But special shout out to that sunrise (sunset?) photo of Billin’s – such a stunning change from his amazing star scapes!
WaterGirl
@Miss Bianca:
Probably not a total surprise when someone named WaterGirl is choosing the photos.
Miss Bianca
@WaterGirl: lol! True dat!
zhena gogolia
Thank you, WG! I don’t have much to say, I just want something pretty to look at.
MagdaInBlack
Thank you for this respite thread
zhena gogolia
The dogs in the towels are always welcome.
prostratedragon
Variation on “Ode to Life,” Don Pullen
HopefullyNotcassandra
Just lovely. Thank you!
WaterGirl
5 minutes this time!
NotMax
Been a long time since last linked it.
Energetic respite from back when.
:)
eclare
I look forward to this every day. Thank you.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: I’m sure lots of people see it and appreciate the break from the horrors.
mrmoshpotato
@zhena gogolia: Yespecially! <autoincorrect making up words!
The betoweled doggo duo is most excellent.
WaterGirl
@eclare: I especially thought you would appreciate yesterday’s picture!
WTFGhost
Time sneaks up on you when you’re feeling a lot of despair. There are years of my life I barely remember because of this.
To go with that morbid thought, here’s a recommendation.
Stop. Close your eyes (yes, *after* you’ve sufficiently memorized the instructions, smartass!). Think of nothing but taking a long, slow, breath. Through your nose is fine, through your mouth is fine, but the nose is generally healthier. Just that… sipping air in, until you can’t easily get more in, but, you’re still comfortable, thinking of that pause, where you aren’t inhaling or exhaling, and try to sit there, until your lungs just decide to deflate on their own. If that happens, it can be startling, so be ready for it. Normally, if we’re truly feeling our lungs, they don’t do anything until we tell them. But it’s possible to “be the breath” so deeply, you get this ridiculous sensation as you exhale without planning to, feeling those involuntary muscles kick in, just a bit, just enough.
If you can do this, hold that moment in your head. Nothing was wrong with you, at all, in that moment. You hadn’t forgotten horrors and pains; once you return to “normal” consciousness (as opposed to meditative consciousness) you’ll be able to answer questions on them. But even though you knew those things existed, in that moment – just one breath! – there was nothing burdening you about them. It is possible to feel love, compassion, anger, rage, etc., and yet, step aside from it.
Remember you’re not the animal, you’re the adult.
Remember this hasn’t been forever.
Remember that it won’t be forever (or, at least I know I’ll say “I fought to my last breath, in whatever limited way I could, and I fought after that last breath for a surprisingly long time, because I’m used to being lightheaded from lack of bloodflow to my brain! And I hope somehow, in my dying moment, I scared the literal pee out of the witnesses.”).
(AHEM Skip the prior matcho bee-ess, just remember, not forever, may we fight the rest of our lives, if necessary, to make that happen.)
Just that moment of peace can be an enormous help. (Trust me, I know my “enormous helps” and it really can. Not as good as masturbation, but neurological pain scrapes (as opposed to “sucks”))
Knowing that you can be at peace, and still filled with rage (anger you’ve got ready to call up when needed), proves to yourself that you still have compassion, you still care, even if and when you detach entirely from anger. So letting go of anger makes more sense, right?
Full Disclosure: I’m not a doctor, nor any form of licensed counselor, and, moreover, I’m in a abnormally elevated mood. And I don’t mean “happy” when I say “elevated” if you know what I mean, and if you don’t, kids, go ask whichever parent is most likely to give you a treat to avoid answering, ‘kay?
But this is a distilled bit of wisdom (too durn wordy, but you didn’t see what I boiled off!) from decades, yes really, of surviving in a body where the only hope is “it might be better in the future” because it’s typically unlivable in the moment, and over any significant period of time – day, week, month year, they’re all bad.
So consider trying that teeny meditation, if’n you like surviving without killing people. And don’t forget, successful, happy-making, masturbation, or partnered sex (didn’t say how many, didn’t say how few), that’s another example of the same peace, plus, you know, orgasm, and I know, when you’re in afterglow, you don’t want to think of bad things, but you can kind of send a message, “and remember – you’re at peace, but still holding rage!” as a bit of self praise. Some partners would even say so out loud, or whatever other sweet nothings might make your peaceful moments more peaceful. There are worse things than bringing some afterglow happiness into your post-afterglow life.
eclare
@WaterGirl:
I exchanged texts with my cousin today. She, the hubby, and two teenage kids are going to Turks and Caicos this Sunday. Sigh. Love the Caribbean. Clear blue water as far as you can see.
Kristine
I love the sidebar pics. They should be hanging in galleries.