It has been a week. <sigh> Looking out the back window this morning, the ground appeared drier than it has been. Bits of rain will arrive daily for some time, with nothing large until the beginning of next week when another ~25 mm (1 inch) is forecast. I had a shower last night -- the first since Sunday due to the fear of adding too much water to an already overloaded sewer line. I share the line with three other buildings -- that's before it goes to the main. In the past, major melts have created a backup in my basement since this house is at the end of the line. I spent some time after lunch cleaning up the branches and twigs that the wind relocated during the storm. I waited for a day with less rain and for the ground to be less squishy and slippery.
Fear -- from whatever cause -- can be disruptive. New things on the news daily and even throughout the day portray only portions of many stories. Journalists and influencers do their best to play on anxieties and get people glued to the screen - it's all about viewership or readership metrics after all with little altruism in any broadcast or social media posting. Yes, that sounds jaded, but having been involved in research in this area for over three decades confirms that there is evidence to support my disillusionment. We need to look beyond the stories to see things that are surviving, people who are helping, and that glimmer of sunshine that can symbolize hope. For me, there are many people organizing locally to help those whose homes were damaged or lost in the flood. Many supportive and helpful messages have been posted to the local Caremongers social media group. In another bright spot, I even saw a somewhat roundish lighter area in the heavy cloud today. I'm taking that as hope that we may actually see the sun or some sunshine soon.
While pondering the metaphoric brightness I've noticed around town this week, a song came to mind. It was featured in an animated movie that I first saw when a student chose to focus a research project on food insecurity as policy failure -- a much longer success story there <smile>. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Raining Sunshine -- Miranda Cosgrove
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