With all my meltdowns lately, I have been looking for some way to let go of all the problems that I have no control over. It just seems that there is so much wrong with our country today that I don’t know if we will even survive it. I need a new perspective, and I think I have found at least a partial way to get that. Here it is…

Stop watching the news – This one is a biggie for me! I have always been a news addict! I have to know what is going on, not only in my neighborhood, but in the world. Like any addict, I don’t think I can go cold-turkey but I can certainly lighten up on it. I have resolved to spend no more than a half hour a day on news sources. That includes TV and Internet sources.

Don’t take on other people’s problems – That doesn’t mean that I ignore the problems that others face as much as not to get so emotionally worked up about them.

Be in the moment – I know, this is advice that all the feel-good “experts” give, but sometimes the “moment” is just too boring to be in. 😉 But, I will try this whenever I can. I do get more pleasure now that we are still on lockdown with my veggie garden and lawn work. It gives me a good level of peace and serenity. I need to do that more often. I have also spent quite a bit of time on my homemade RV lately. Just basic stuff like sanding and scraping. It is relaxing to spend time on something so basic.

Stop taking things so seriously – I should have learned that lesson from my hero Will Rogers but I guess it has not fully sunk in yet. It’s not up to me to solve the world’s problems. It is not up to me to get the idiot out of the Oval Office (but I will be handing my government pandemic check over to Joe Biden to get him out of office). It’s not up to me to end the pandemic. I need to concentrate on things that I can control and now so much on things I can’t.

Look for Humor in the crappy stuff – I love this one. Try to look for a humorous side of all situations. For instance, we finally have a benchmark for judging how good a job the president is or isn’t doing. We have had our “Jessie Ventura” moment and will soon get back to at least some level of competence in the executive branch, and maybe even the legislative one too.

I’m going to work hard on this list at least through June, and see how it goes…