If You Choose Not To Decide, You Still Have Made A Choice...REPRISE 2024

 VOTE.  Please. 

Reprising my post from 2020. 

This is just some of my thinks and feels.  Some will understand, some won't.  Here's a rambling batch of words.  

I don't often share political memes and opinions or even FACTUAL posts on social media.  I may start posting factual things as we get closer to the election...likely the most important one yet.  And yes, that has been said of the last couple of elections, but since the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and the revelation of Project 2025, it's truer now more than ever.  I hope this is the last election we have to fear for the survival of our democracy.  

This post isn't even meant to be of a political nature, really.  But what it IS about is relationships.  Here's the thing... I have not and will not let politics affect my feelings toward our friends and family.  I have not unfriended (maybe unfollowed) anyone on social media simply because they feel the opposite way that I do about a candidate or political party.  I'm trying really hard to not start unfriending, but when I see people posting utter foolishness, misinformation, and just downright ugliness...it's hard y'all, but I will try not to do it.  

I WILL, however, delete you if you flagrantly disregard my request to NOT engage in political debate or start an argument with me on a rare political post I may make.  If you post or comment with anything that is downright hateful, nasty, vulgar or criminal sounding, I will likely go on ahead and block you.  You can always, just, you know, scroll on by; that's what I do.  (Can I just say how annoyed I've become about how social media has taken over so much of our lives and interactions with others?)

I appreciate that most times, our friends and family members know that politics (and religion) should be taboo at get-togethers.  Unfortunately, sometimes a friend of a friend or family member at a gathering will start in with silly political rhetoric, or a smart-ass comment aimed at getting a reaction.  It happened recently, actually.  It got zero reaction.  

A sidebar:  Recently, our town went through a major, 1,000-year flood due to Hurricane/TS Debbie parking right over us for 3 days.  I love how quickly our community sprang into action to help their affected neighbors.  So many volunteers helping with sandbags, helping people get out of the flooded neighborhoods with boats, delivering supplies on boats and kayaks.  They didn't hesitate.  I'm pretty sure no one stopped to see if they were working alongside or helping to assist a Republican or a Democrat.  Both sides were working hard, side by side, to help their fellow humans...their fellow Americans.

I wish that people could agree to not let political opinions divide, damage or estrange friends and especially family.  Blood is supposed to be thicker than politics.  

That being said, I may post some of my hopes for our political future on social media.  I may not.  I hope my friends list doesn't decrease in numbers as a result if I do.    

I understand that there are those who might disagree with their significant other's candidate of choice but aren't comfortable saying so.  Keep in mind, the voting booth is a private situation.  You can vote however you want.
You can choose free will.  Just sayin'.  

I hope everyone will get out and vote.  If you will be 18 by election day, go on ahead and register and then make your voice heard on November 5.

Voting feels wonderful.  I'm downright euphoric after I've seen my ballot counted.  And after we vote this year, early, we will likely celebrate that we can and have voted.  Please y'all, don't let your candidate lose to the couch.  

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.  
~Geddy Lee / Alex Lifeson / Neil Peart  

(REPRISE: 15 Years) I'm Still Standing...

June 4, 2024

First, I am grateful to still be here.  SO grateful. It was 15 years ago today that I received that dreaded, awful phone call from Dr. D.  Before I even picked up the phone, my ears began that high-pitched ringing & rushing sound.  And then he said it.  "The pathology came back positive for breast cancer."  

Your blood like winter freezes just like ice. 

And like in 2013, I still wonder why I feel the need to mark all these damn cancer dates down on a calendar.  But yes, I do.  All of them.  Still.  And O & I are still waiting on that "someday".  It's never over.  Ever. 

But less of the focus for sure.  

I guess I have about as much to say about it today as I did when I posted 

Once You Know You Can Never Go Back... in 2015.

And here I am at 55.  And I'm Still Standing....

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm Still Standing....

June 2009. About a week before D-Day.

Four years ago this week.  On June 30th actually. My whole world changed.  I got the phone call that the pathology was in from the biopsy & it was positive for breast cancer. 

I can't believe four years have passed.  I don't even really have a whole lot to say about it, but I just feel the need to remember it & several other days that have to do with it.  D-Day...NED day...first & last chemo days....head shave day...

Why?  Why do I mark these days on the calendar year after year?  Only thing I can think of is that having to go through the bc bs is hard. 
Damn hard.  And once you've had it, things are never, ever the same again. 

I'm pretty sure O hopes there will someday be a time when I'm totally & finally done with all the cancer stuff.  So do I.  But I really don't think you're ever totally just DONE with it, once you've had it.  I do know that it isn't so much the focus....like I no longer eat, sleep, breathe, walk & talk cancer 24/7 like I once did.  But it's always there...looming.  Like a dark cloud that just can't wait to strike like lightning....every single time I have the slightest ache or pain...or spot...or pimple...or pretty much anything.  And pleeeeeease don't mention any symptom of anything at all to me.  Ever.  *Furrows brow in the direction of Dr's V, W & C & even F*  Cause remember, I truly am THE Master of Psychosomatics. Yeah.

Eh, anyway....Four years later.  And I'm Still Standing. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah.