How is everyone doing out there with the constant madness in the world? Are you holding strong and finding ways to connect despite the chaos? Have you found daily glimmers (aka the opposite of triggers) to hold on to when you need some light? If you too are feeling that the state of the world is simply too much, too often, please know that you are not alone. What is happening right now is downright frightening and your feelings are valid. Please stay strong. Evil forces win when despair takes over. We are not alone and, now more than ever, we must find simple joys and connection as much as possible. These may be small or large moments; it doesn’t matter how many, or how deep, just that we seek them and appreciate them. When joy seems fleeting, hold onto it. You deserve joy, you deserve moments of peace and you deserve love. And reach out if you’re having a hard time because again, you are not alone. It is damn hard to be a human with a brain and kind heart right now. Thanks for reading my PSA, from a recently Certified Mental Health First Aider.*
Right now when the world is in shambles, I am constantly practicing the art of resistance through not just political action (i.e. communicating with my elected officials on at least a weekly basis), but also by taking ultra good care of myself and others so that we can stay strong. It is not easy. I am relying heavily on my mindfulness practices and keeping my nervous system in as balanced as state as possible. Note I say as possible. Rest has been massively important for me and I will not allow any shame or guilt to infiltrate my time that is “less productive”. As a human and a maker, I am more than my output. So less has been completed in my sewing room lately and that is a-okay. There is a season (turn, turn, turn — sorry, I couldn’t resist) for everything and right now, I am moving more slowly.
Now this doesn’t mean that I haven’t been up to things creatively. I am enjoying some natural dye projects, a bit of cyanotype printing and making some scrappy blocks out of old clothing. And knitting up a storm! Knitting is my go to soothing activity, there is something calming on a cellular level about clicking needles and counting stitches that quickly grounds me. I think this must be genetic because my great-grandmother was an ardent knitter and crocheter. I fondly remember her in a rocking chair, with a cup of Folger’s coffee nearby, transforming yarn into blankets for everyone. Spreading her love to us in this way.
The amount of appreciation I have for the handmade and homegrown cannot be quantified. My largest joy lately has been paddling in the kayak my beloved made over the winter. Sitting in this boat, in the middle of a lake on our beautiful publicly owned lands is so deeply moving that I cannot articulate it here. There is amazement at the construction and artistry of it, but more than that, I can feel all of the energy he put into it. It is a true highlight of 2025 to me. And in the build up to peak produce that is happening right now where I live, I am reveling in the beautiful bounty that is grown here locally. I am so fortunate to know, on a first name basis, the people that grow my food. When I’m down in the dumps, I can go to a farm stand or the farmer’s market and forge an instant connection with someone over the bliss that is fresh cherries, robada apricots, the season’s first heirloom tomatoes or okra. And just like the feeling I get while paddling the new boat, there is an amount of love that I can taste when I bite into this local food. Foods that instantly fill you with pleasure. When you put your heart into what you make, it is apparent.
Speaking of food and craving, does anyone else ever crave certain music? I mean this literally, like a physical craving for a certain artist. I do! Just like my random and very intense food cravings (shiitake mushrooms and miso are frequent visitors), I will get an insatiable hankering for a specific album or band. This happened a few weeks ago with Band of Horses and it is still going strong. I just cannot get enough and thankfully, there is a lot of material to indulge in. Since this has taken over, I’ve worked my way through four albums, several online videos and two cds of Carrisa’s Wierd, the predecessor to BOH. Shoutout to my best work friend Jim for gifting me these Carrisa discs many years ago and also happy 20th paliversary! My most favorite Band of Horses album is 2007’s Cease to Begin and one that I have replaced twice due to overuse. One minute into the first song “Is There a Ghost?” and my heart and body is electrified. When I crave foods, I believe that my body is telling me that I need some specific nutrient and so I do my best to satisfy this. Which thankfully I mostly crave very healthy foods so this works out okay. So the same goes when I am craving music — my body is telling me that I need something that only that artist can provide. Band of Horses is infusing me with that vitamin right now.
This post is named after the song “No One’s Gonna Love You” off the aforementioned most favorite Band of Horses album. It may seem odd to write a Quiltunes post after a breakup song but the reality is, my heart aches. This song has always resonated with me. Like I said before, it is hard to be a person with a heart right now. My relationship to my country feels like post-breakup, when you are disappointed and hurt and all cried out. And just plain depleted. Those making the decisions right now are leaving us bereft. I started bawling on the phone last Tuesday with the legislative aide at our Congressman’s office pleading for him to have a heart and vote against the bill. (Spoiler alert, he voted for the bill.) But the message in this song is also about giving it your all. It is about leading with your heart and still loving because that is who YOU are. So I refuse to become a cynic because that is not who I am. I mean, yes I do have moments of cynicism because hello these people are the worst, but I want to still believe in love and promote love when I can. That includes love to myself and to others. Love to the environment and to my neighbors. We can combat evil only by doing the exact opposite. And it all starts with taking extra good care of ourselves first. Listening to music that you love, eating beautiful food grown with expert care and finding moments of joy whenever we can. Be the love, friends. The world needs it.
*I completed this certification through my employer, but you can easily find out more about this program online.
Quiltunes 
As always, your post was timely. Today was the parade for the Fourth of July. They always celebrate on a day that falls on a weekend. Fireworks are banned in our town, so celebrations are I the next town. They explode over the water to insure no fires. However our protesters migrate their to combine forces. Together there were 700 people and we are extremely small towns. I digress. I can only handle a limited display of deliberate cruelty before I crack. So my immediate crew has refocused on scrabble. It’s hysterical the cult- like devotion we are replacing our pain with. In the middle of the night emails announcing a bingo ( using all seven letters in one word) are sent in all the glorious detail of an Olympic event. There is a ban on any political discussion during the Friday morning game in person. It may seem silly, but three of us are challenged with serious alcoholism and drug addiction followed by successful sobriety to date. Despite 40 years of careful work, the specter of the current reality has made my sobriety rear its head. Anyway, striking a balance again is almost a full time job. It’s a tough time for many anyone with addiction. What’s working for me is daily goals with very low stress levels. So, I put some unfinished sewing project requiring no goal other than to look at it. Then I put on YouTube “ reaction “ videos from hip hop and rappers and appreciate their experience of branching out into musical genres. The joy of watching and learning about music from my generation, is simply exhilarating. Scrabble for refocusing and reaction videos of music that was important to me. Lame? Today it is working. Tomorrow is another day.Right now , outside the ocean is still blue, the sun was out today, and there are no fires . I’m not dead yet. One day at a time, and a bunch of sober addicts are finding joy in scrabble and music from the 60’s 70’s and 80’s. Hang on and don’t judge yourself.
“Forget fear. Worry about the addiction”
LikeLike