What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love And Understanding

I've been accused my whole life of being "too sensitive." This actually kind of pisses me off, but maybe that's just because I'm too sensitive.
~ Sophia Dembling

Me too. When people have told me “you’re oversensitive,” they’re basically, if unwittingly, telling me that I’ve no right to this emotion. That feeling hurt and sad because a dear friend’s husband can’t resist an opportunity to demean, insult and vilify me is irrational.

GUESS WHAT– I AM fully aware that it's not me. This jerk is an off-the-rails asswipe. He’s a deeply insecure, narcissistic fuckwad. but his hurled slings and arrows still hurt. My sadness though, is NOT just because of his bully boy bullshit. It’s, perhaps more than anything, about losing the closeness that I shared with this friend. Our connection wasn’t severed but, because she rarely socializes without this misfit abuse machine, who she, unaccountably, loves, I only see her once every lavender moon or so.

You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.
~ Jonathan Safran Foer 
 
But we all have to pick our own risks – what’s worth the sad and what’s not. If I had a thicker skin or enjoyed verbal combat, there would be no problem…right? Maybe.

It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.
~ Chuck Palahniuk, Diary

Truth but WHY is this? Are we humans just irretrievably dimbulbed. Oh wait, I know the answer to that question already.

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
~ Albert Einstein 
 
One of the 88,000,000,000,000,000 reasons that I’m not a Republican.

Why can't people just sit and read books and be nice to each other?
~ David Baldacci, The Camel Club 
 
Beats the everlovin’ fuck outta me.

He always thinks because I'm reading, I'm not doing anything. There is no greater plague to an introvert than the extroverted.
~ Pierce Brown, Golden Son 

And to be a little of each, as I am, is to be, near constantly, at war with your own damn self. I should text H – see how she’s doing or make hiking plans with J or go look in art galleries with M OR I can stay home, watch the waves, cosset Coco and read.

Now that we’re all social distancing, my internal battles are MUCH more quiet.

And yet…

Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.
~ Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein

The lessening of choices, the ongoing need to, essentially, shelter in place, reading the continuing online, insane ravings of the Republi/Fascist Party and their Dear Leader (the clownstick with all the brains and ability of a puke and shit stained diaper) AND the BBros who see this as yet another chance to raise their WE’RE-the-ONLY-right-and-pure-ones flag – well, it gets me down.

Ya know?

It’s been less than a week since the gym and the library shut. I TOTES need to find a path to strength, humor and peace ‘o’ mind.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding