A Nudge in the Right Direction

[TANSTAAFL58]

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1d/b3/42/1db342f1bb53514f62b5e40022e3e3d1.jpg

Great thread.

This Northing looks very familiar. Do you know where it's from?

 

[cascadiabound]

Great thread.

This Northing looks very familiar. Do you know where it's from?

I don't - I think I found it on an image search but when i just tried to retrace my steps I do not see any attribution.

glad you like the thread. welcome.

 

[cascadiabound]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/f5a813bed4f1a8292c097d61abcc74c5/tumblr_plcqcl8dEP1wssyrbo1_1280.jpg

 

[cascadiabound]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/421358156929e5cfee189c506c1ef992/tumblr_ps0ckjpXZ21ulom75_540.png

when times are complicated, take a bearing and breathe.

 

[cascadiabound]

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1292/2737/products/image_390fccdc-c420-44ef-bad6-6fcdc98fb214.jpg?v=1546705751

 

[cascadiabound]

losing our way

I have not posted in this thread since the pandemic. Maybe I feel like I have lost my compass. I can't even keep track of days.

We are quickly approaching 100,000 dead here in the United States this memorial day weekend. It is a staggering number of people to die in less than 3 months. We have more dead from Covid19 than ALL of the US deaths from the Korean War, the Vietnam War and and the Afghanistan War.

Let that sink in.

And still we have the problem of people grasping at conspiracy theories and denial. Politicizing a pandemic that cares not a whit about our petty political disputes.

I have been thinking a lot this last week about how to memorialize all those that have died in such a short time. To make our losses visible.

I have been musing about other times and other ways that we have done things to make our dead visible. To help awaken everyone else about how many are grieving and to create an urgency to act in the benefit of others.

I was just beginning my medical career when AIDS/ HIV was new and we were all very worried about getting it. We learned new precautions for the handling of blood and other bodily fluids and we talked to patients about the importance of safe sex... it was no longer just to prevent the clap or whatever that we had long had ready antibiotics to cure - no... sex could kill you. It changed everything about the way many of us thought about intimacy. But those who were dying were mostly "others"... gay men. Urban populations. People who were... well - to many people (sadly and wrongly) not that important.

I remember the NAMES project AIDS memorial quilt project.

https://www.sciencesource.com/Doc/TR1_WATERMARKED/1/6/4/e/SS2537271.jpg?d63642615209

Maybe we need to do something like that again. A panel for each person who has died.

But there are SO MANY dead in such a short time. And I fear that there will be so many more in the next months. Perhaps we need to make a memorial like that at some point, but we need to do something simple and easy right now. We need to figure out a way to honor those that have died of covid19. A signifier. Something to unite us and to make our grief visible. Something that could cross cultures and work anywhere in the world.

Here in the states, if someone in your family died while serving in a time of conflict in the military, you become a "gold star family" - these are commonly displayed in windows. Sometimes people wear them on their clothes, especially at commemorative events - like during Memorial Day events. Maybe we could use a star - a black star or a green star or ? Or some other simple symbol. Something not tied to a particular faith or country. These could be placed in our windows to be seen from the street. Worn on your lapel or jacket or stitched onto the masks we wear. Placed anywhere you like. Your backpack. Your purse. Your hat. It could just be a little button with a star and nothing else - or a star and the words Cov19.

What do any of you think? Do you think we could make such an idea go viral all over the world???

cb

P.S. We will not need to take the precautions we are taking now "forever" - but we certainly will for the foreseeable future. We can only hope that this pandemic will blow itself out in 2-3 years. We can pray for a vaccine that confers immunity for years, not months. But these are at the moment unknowable things. All we can do right now, is act in a way that both protects ourselves and protects our neighbors. One choice at a time - to stay home when you can. To social distance when you can't. To wear a mask. For others. I am deeply concerned that the choices that are currently being made in the US will cause a new spike in cases in the next month or two. More medical systems getting overwhelmed by more cases than ICU beds. And medical staff exhausted from caring for people who die in spite of our best efforts. This is terrible work. Depressing work. Work full of fear and faint hopes.

God save us from ourselves.

 

[Mrtenant]

I have not posted in this thread since the pandemic. Maybe I feel like I have lost my compass. I can't even keep track of days.

We are quickly approaching 100,000 dead here in the United States this memorial day weekend. It is a staggering number of people to die in less than 3 months. We have more dead from Covid19 than ALL of the US deaths from the Korean War, the Vietnam War and and the Afghanistan War.

Let that sink in.

And still we have the problem of people grasping at conspiracy theories and denial. Politicizing a pandemic that cares not a whit about our petty political disputes.

I have been thinking a lot this last week about how to memorialize all those that have died in such a short time. To make our losses visible.

I have been musing about other times and other ways that we have done things to make our dead visible. To help awaken everyone else about how many are grieving and to create an urgency to act in the benefit of others.

I was just beginning my medical career when AIDS/ HIV was new and we were all very worried about getting it. We learned new precautions for the handling of blood and other bodily fluids and we talked to patients about the importance of safe sex... it was no longer just to prevent the clap or whatever that we had long had ready antibiotics to cure - no... sex could kill you. It changed everything about the way many of us thought about intimacy. But those who were dying were mostly "others"... gay men. Urban populations. People who were... well - to many people (sadly and wrongly) not that important.

I remember the NAMES project AIDS memorial quilt project.

https://www.sciencesource.com/Doc/TR1_WATERMARKED/1/6/4/e/SS2537271.jpg?d63642615209

Maybe we need to do something like that again. A panel for each person who has died.

But there are SO MANY dead in such a short time. And I fear that there will be so many more in the next months. Perhaps we need to make a memorial like that at some point, but we need to do something simple and easy right now. We need to figure out a way to honor those that have died of covid19. A signifier. Something to unite us and to make our grief visible. Something that could cross cultures and work anywhere in the world.

Here in the states, if someone in your family died while serving in a time of conflict in the military, you become a "gold star family" - these are commonly displayed in windows. Sometimes people wear them on their clothes, especially at commemorative events - like during Memorial Day events. Maybe we could use a star - a black star or a green star or ? Or some other simple symbol. Something not tied to a particular faith or country. These could be placed in our windows to be seen from the street. Worn on your lapel or jacket or stitched onto the masks we wear. Placed anywhere you like. Your backpack. Your purse. Your hat. It could just be a little button with a star and nothing else - or a star and the words Cov19.

What do any of you think? Do you think we could make such an idea go viral all over the world???

cb

P.S. We will not need to take the precautions we are taking now "forever" - but we certainly will for the foreseeable future. We can only hope that this pandemic will blow itself out in 2-3 years. We can pray for a vaccine that confers immunity for years, not months. But these are at the moment unknowable things. All we can do right now, is act in a way that both protects ourselves and protects our neighbors. One choice at a time - to stay home when you can. To social distance when you can't. To wear a mask. For others. I am deeply concerned that the choices that are currently being made in the US will cause a new spike in cases in the next month or two. More medical systems getting overwhelmed by more cases than ICU beds. And medical staff exhausted from caring for people who die in spite of our best efforts. This is terrible work. Depressing work. Work full of fear and faint hopes.

God save us from ourselves.

 

[cascadiabound]

A Nudge in the Right Direction ​

Do you know anyone in Lit-land who is having a tough time? Is a little bit at sea? Experiencing a rough patch in their lives? Maybe a sticky medical issue. Or a family crisis. An impending death or recent bereavement. The list could be very long...

Sometimes people here are very public about the things going on with them. We all have seen whole threads devoted to people and the stuff they are going through. However, sometimes people prefer to be very private and only tell a few people one on one about the things that weigh heavy on their hearts.

I recall when I first came to Lit, I found a little thread in a little corner of the board called the "Fuck You Cancer" thread. It meant a lot to me. And it has been a wonderful place of support for lots of Litsters facing cancer and who are touched by cancer in those they love. It made me know that this place is not just about people being horny and perving all the time.

Cancer totally sucks, but there are SO many other things that people suffer with and from. Things that people need a little extra support and care. A few extra virtual hugs, positive thoughts, prayers, good karmic energy, call it whatever you like... these things, I truly believe can have a tangible impact on a persons well being.

Therefore I would like to make a modest proposal... that when we have someone here that we particularly want to hold in our hearts...to let them know we are thinking of them... that we add to our signature line a compass graphic. Maybe you leave it in your signature for a few days or a week or two when you know someone is having a particularly hard time. Or around the time of a funeral, or while someone is waiting for a diagnosis... or, or, or.

Why a compass? The compass is directional and the four points North, South, East and West are marked on its face. It is a simple tool harkening back to sailors and ships traversing the stormy seas on their way home from a long journey. It is essential for the traveler, a symbol of guidance, and the ability to point you in the right direction.

I have spent a lot of time in the wilderness and on the water... and for me, a compass is a symbol of security. No matter how afraid I am... no matter how dark it is, or how big the seas are, if I have a compass, I have a tool that will help me find my way... I am not lost. It is a symbol of hope... and guidance even when things seem almost too much to bear.

She kept her trusty compass with her all times
to guide her through each new twist and turn on her journey.​

Queenisms​

Here are a few different compass graphics that could be used in signature lines. I would love to see these all over the board... A sign that we care for each other.

http://imgur.com/RFRxJsN.jpg http://imgur.com/XmiaEfH.jpg http://imgur.com/CA0QDoD.jpg http://imgur.com/Vc4HVUO.jpg http://imgur.com/ldm2nTC.jpg​

Cascadiabound ​

This concept I started several years ago seems both quaint and even more necessary now than then

I have lost some of the most important people in my life in the last 12 months and I daily fear that my brother who I adore will lose his fight with depression and just call it quits.

Everyday I face someone who is struggling with real demons - illness, insecurity (economic), injustice, mental health crises. Every day I take a deep breath and do my very best to meet them where-ever they are. To acknowledge that the struggle is real. To help them feel for at least one moment that they are not alone as I create report.

One thing that is clear to me every time I return to Lit after a hiatus, that we are a community of searching people... many of whom are struggling, seeking, escaping, hurting, lost. May this be a nudge to be kind - we know not what the last litster who posted is facing right now. If you know someone you want to hold in care, add a compass to your sig. It might be an opening to conversation with the very person you are supposed to connect with next.

I am struggling to keep my compass bearing, but every day I endeavor. This is all any of us can do. Keep moving forward... head up, hand out to your fellow traveler.

cb

 

[cascadiabound]

A rewrite of a classic that was remarkably necessary. Apologies to Shel Silverstien, but I am thinking in the light of time passing, he would approve. And if not he can go fuck himself. Boundaries people.

 

[CutieJo]

A rewrite of a classic that was remarkably necessary. Apologies to Shel Silverstien, but I am thinking in the light of time passing, he would approve. And if not he can go fuck himself. Boundaries people. View attachment 2156688

The Giving Tree was my favorite book growing up. I thought it was such a beautiful way to show how dedicated you are to someone throughout your whole life. How noble, like a tree, to always be there for comfort, even at the expense of oneself. Now older and wiser, I agree with setting boundaries and filling your own cup before others. I'm still working on these things myself and this book greatly helps me on my journey to self-love with chuckles.

 

[cascadiabound]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/421358156929e5cfee189c506c1ef992/tumblr_ps0ckjpXZ21ulom75_540.png

when times are complicated, take a bearing and breathe.

This is an excellent reminder... feels even more important now than when I originally made this post

 

[cascadiabound]

 

[jeff_is_smiling]

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qklMttVZigo/XZkdpheEPeI/AAAAAAAAUc4/vIk-Vu9NGdUtAMmbDzLJyGuUE9oYi_37QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1611.jpg

 

[AngelicaS1780]

A rewrite of a classic that was remarkably necessary. Apologies to Shel Silverstien, but I am thinking in the light of time passing, he would approve. And if not he can go fuck himself. Boundaries people. View attachment 2156688

Thank you so much for posting this. I love it! I never liked that book because the boy was such a selfish jerk and the tree never stood up for herself. This is a much better version.

 

[cascadiabound]

View attachment 2160650

 

[Dribble]

I heard it best this way...

Close your eyes. Spin around. Throw the dart. Where it lands...that is your target

 

[cascadiabound]

 

[cascadiabound]

 

[cascadiabound]

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e7/bf/71/e7bf71a0f8cf41004c375101ee04685a.jpg

 

[cascadiabound]

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/295858881_5735926259774907_8222419085550433695_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=9267fe&_nc_ohc=brs0TIpE21gAX_cGVH4&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&oh=00_AT_mkwDjFfvKSClBTQedk0lCQc6UW_iN9AGcI0SQBZVF_A&oe=62F80E37

I definitely need a glass of wine about now....

 

[cascadiabound]

Thinking especially of you my dearest love, my Jameson....View attachment 2171191

 

[cascadiabound]

View attachment 2171190

 

[Beholders_Eye]

View attachment 2171305

 

[cascadiabound]

View attachment 2172576

 

[cascadiabound]

View attachment 2184613