Reply #56: Frustrated, but still determined for the most part.

[livvy]

I also feel a sense of loss on several levels. My mom passed away in October, a huge loss, obviously. Also this year, two of my beloved pets passed away; my first dog, and my beloved "Damnit bird", an African gray parrot. Coupled with these losses, my teaching colleagues and I are fighting for a new contract, without much success. Then came Nov. 2, and this loss/theft has sort of brought everything to a boil. Deep down, I'm angry. Angry about all these losses. I feel frustrated because I want things to be so different on all these levels. Fortunately, my mother was a bit of a bulldog, and has passed these characteristics on to me,along with a good sense of humor, so I'm not ready or willing to give up. From my father, I received the blessings of patience and tolerance, and a healthy dose of imagination.
I'm hanging in there, but I'm not the same as I was before all these events came to be. I'm pretty preoccupied with what's going on in this country amd damned worried. I have to keep telling myself to keep plugging along, grab anyone else I can convince to become aware, and try to get them to plug along with me. I also have to remind myself to lighten up from time to time. I just don't see the humor in things like I used to.
DU has been a great help both from an informational standpoint and a personal one. I know I'm not alone. I know others are working hard to change things too, and I've also learned that tinfoil hats come in all shapes and sizes, and that at least here, it's ok to wear one with pride!
My old principal used to have a favorite saying; "Together we can make a difference". It pretty much drove me nuts when she'd say it, but for some reason now, it seems to sound ok.

:yourock: