Any Port....

photo by Annie Russell - Mackinac Island, Mi.

Good Morning -
I'm trying to get back into a regular posting on this blog so that I'm writing more, thinking more and reacting and moving like an automaton less. July is 6 months long for me and I find that if I don't make myself stop, breathe, think, and write I work, get home, shower, go to bed, work, get home, shower, go to bed. etc. etc. etc. 
 
 There are shifts occurring that leave me feeling discombobulated; we have sold our building and close on that tomorrow. I will remain on the retail side for another year as I transition Persephone's Folly back into on-line only status.
  We had an apartment lined up in New Orleans but that idea folded just before signing the lease due to the virus and its effects within the city at this time; safer to stay close to home for now.
  I've lost two workers this month and gained another who is going to work out really well. 
  The changes and uncertainties are obvious in the mundane world but the shifts are happening beyond that as well and that, for me, is like navigating an erratic storm. Sometimes the breeze is gentle and at my back, other times its a gale force wind from in front of me and other times its gusts that pummel me from the sides. This time of physical and economic uncertainty has loosened our collective moorings and change is happening quickly but not smoothly. The ties that kept us at dock, so to speak, began loosening in earnest 4 years ago when we, as a society, let in the storm that is now in charge of our country. For some reason we all decided - on some level or another- that this would be beneficial for us. This is not to say that those of us who did not vote for the current regime wanted chaos, but rather than the undercurrent and desire for change must have been so strong that we have wound up here. I hope we're all strong enough to safely navigate this storm and come out relatively unscathed at the end.
   For me the hardest part of this has been the anger- people are SO angry. My usual ways of operating within my community have been changed dramatically. For the most part I no longer interact with the public; I do what I need to do at grocery stores and at work-nod, smile, keep my head down and my emotional shields up, and keep to my own space. There have been far too many emotionally violent encounters this summer and I simply cannot continue to have that kind of energy thrown at me. So for now I interact with people I know personally and keep to myself otherwise. Its a strange way to behave in such a small town and I hope this is not the new normal.
 My ramblings are done for the morning; its time for me to get  dressed and head into work. I'm very tired and am looking forward to some down-time when the seasons change (and if that's not a broadly worded statement, I don't know what is!).

Take Care, Stay Safe, Wear Your Masks~