Media and the Human Condition

After North Korea got creepy, Colt and I vowed to watch less TV and specifically less news.  It's like watching the weather channel during a storm, it does nothing but incite anxiety.  I can't go to Asia and pop over in Pygongyang and tell Kim Jong Il I'm just a lady with a baby who wants to raise him in a peaceful world, so I'll cook him dinner a few times a week if he'll just relax.  Instead I just have to be human and not worry myself over things I can't control, things that aren't affecting my life directly.

When Dad died, I would get so mad that the world around me wasn't stopping to grieve for the man I loved, but in the wake of tragedies like Colorado, New town, Boston, I realize we can't let our hearts break over and over again.  We have to save them for when the breaking is beside us.  I am definitely the type of person who would let something hundreds of miles away take me out of the world.  I'd lock my doors and stare fearful out of the windows, especially if I were glued to the news, so we kept it off.  I have deep empathy for Boston, and deep sadness too, and a lot of conflicting emotions and thoughts, but I also cannot be afraid to live my life.

As an homage, we went downtown in Charlotte last night, a place I very rarely visit because parking is a pain and there's really not a lot of interesting things to do.  We walked in a few crowds, we saw a few paintings inside buildings, we got coffee.  It's the best I can do to sympathize without completely falling apart.

((As an aside: we literally stumbled upon this bookstore that had the best vibe in the world.  We talked to them about putting some work up, both Colt and I, and they were completely enthusiastic.  Finally- a place in this city that promotes small press!))