I'll be out on a patio (or patios!) with enthusiasm on May 15th

I wear a mask all day at work, I wear a mask into stores. I wash my hands a lot more, sanitize my hands in my car after going into most public places. I don't wipe everything down that I purchase with disinfectant wipes, I mostly forget to take and leave my shoes off outside my apartment.

I shop WAY less frequently than normal, I walk alone (always). I do not wear a mask outside.

I have not been inside my parents house since March 22, that was also the last time I saw my mother in person. I have had driveway "pops" with my dad two times since the stay at home order was put in place. I started a new job and couldn't shop for new clothes so I wear the same shoes to work everyday and one of the same two sweaters everyday.

On April 13th I hugged four people (no one got sick and no one died after). On Tuesday, April 28th I took a housewarming gift to a friend's new home. Got the tour, shared socially distanced beers in the kitchen.

Everyone is talking about how "we're in this together" and "we're all going through the same thing" and no: no we're not. I 'stay at home' by myself: no pets, no partner, no patio or balcony, no house to work on, no yard to work in, no balcony to sit on.

I don't want to do Zoom dinners, I hardly have the space in my one-bedroom apartment to set-up my laptop for Teams meetings for work.
I don't want to talk about how much it sucks: it sucks.
I basically want to do nothing and most often, as much as I enjoy walking, it is a real task to even do that.

I'll be out on a patio (or patios!) with enthusiasm on May 15th and I have friends that will be with me and so many of us are afraid to admit that or to admit we're excited and that is sad.

I get that people are still afraid, I can't say I'm not. I respect the decision to stay home and I am going to continue to be truly cautious but I am going out.

It's getting more and more controversial - restaurants and bars saying they're keeping their customers and staff in mind and not opening until June (I respect your decision to delay opening) but let's be honest, what some folks are really waiting for is for others to open and see how it goes. Let the "others" open first and see how it goes, it's at least part that in some cases (not all) and I know and love people on BOTH sides of the bar/restaurant business and respect them all. It's fine to delay your opening but please don't try and make others look and feel bad because they are not. In the end, lots of folks will have the luxury of learning from other people's mistakes and there will be mistakes and changes and adjustments and that's fine. It's all new, there will be a learning curve.

And lets stop demonizing people like me and my friends who might be weathering the same storm but are on different islands or are in different boats and are trusting in our Governor (that everyone trusted until he said something they disagreed with) and our leadership and are seeing the state of the economy; our own and that of the greater community and know that something has to give and at some point we have to try to get into our new normal.

Maybe if our fellow countrymen weren't so ignorant as to be bringing semi-automatic weapons into statehouses to fight for their right to get a haircut and people weren't pissing their pants about wearing a mask at Costco (go 'Merica) and maybe if more people actually understood the rights of privately owned enterprises and understood that yes, yes: You Tube or Facebook or any other non-government outlet can actually delete videos and comments and posts and no, that is not actually a violation of your first amendment rights. Maybe if some of that weren't happening, it might seem less fearful. It (opening up our economy and getting back out there) might seem less scary because we'd know our fellow citizens had our backs and could weather wearing a mask for 30 minutes at Target, even if they don't believe they help - just to be a good neighbor and reassure others you respect them and want as many people as possible to come out of this unscathed.

We can't all stay home forever. Maybe if we lived in a country and had a government that was set up to support us better: medically and financially and otherwise. Most folks against the openings coming up have no answer for when it will be or seem or feel safe and that's ok. All of this is unknown and scary and changing. I hope you don't have to leave your home until you are comfortable, I hope your unemployment stays in place until such time you feel it is safe enough to go out again and/or that your employer allows you to continue to work from home if that's what you need.

What I think (know) is that people are crazed and depressed and struggling and the risk to themselves and others (sadly) pales in comparison to their current, new reality. I don't think most people are ignoring the fact that their exposure to more people means even someone continuing to self-quarantine/stay at home is impacted (yes - I know there are plenty of idiotic morons out there, I'm not talking about them right now), I think most people know and are sad but also they need to get out, they need to be around friends, they need human touch, they want a hug. I don't think most folks are selfish or uncaring or ignorant, I continue to think that they are simply in need (see above).

Also - people are suffering financially.

People are desperate to save their businesses which includes their own livelihood as well as the livelihood of others. They've been working on safety measures in their minds for four+ weeks.
SBA money:gone
PPP money: gone.
People are desperate to pay their bills, reduce how far behind they are becoming financially and desperate to feed their families

Tens of thousands of people (many of my friends and myself included) are desperate because they have not received ANY unemployment, have NO INCOME and for god's sake: the application for unemployment for 1099-ers isn't even available to begin the process. Sure: when and IF people begin to receive unemployment they're supposed to be getting an "extra" $600/week. Know what? Most of my friends eligible for unemployment have had major problems navigating the unemployment application process and have received NO money. My few friends that have actually started to receive unemployment; don't know one (they may be out there) receiving the "extra" $600/week. And it's not EXTRA for many. Remember, unemployment only provides a percentage of a recipient's income (roughly 50%) so for many folks this will come close to making them whole, some this will be an increase and some still a net loss.

I am so glad (truly) for my friends that have a financial buffer, have some savings, even have a retirement account to pull funds from if necessary. But I don't have that and lots of my friends don't have that. I have plenty of friends that are going further and further into debt: can't pay rent, can't pay utilities, borrowing money from family and friends (I'm right on the cusp - I just-just made it until my first paycheck from my new big-girl job). Thankfully I have friends that have my back. There are many, MANY people that don't have family or friends to give them a financial (albeit borrowed) boost to help them and their families. People are waiting in lines for HOURS to receive a week's worth of food from food banks. Sure the argument may be: what else do they have to do (saying it here because I've sadly heard that) but can you imagine the anxiety and angst of having to sit in your car for hours and hours just to feed your family a handful of meals? That's reality.

The virus and its' threat is real. I get it, I do. I take precautions: reduced shopping, increased hand-washing, shoes in the hall, hand sanitizer in the car, six bags of groceries on the floor because all I wanted to touch was the food that needed to be refrigerated or frozen and allow the rest to sit for a day or two (or 21 as it is now with some of my groceries) in the hopes the virus dies before I touch those items. Then I lost the motivation to put them away so I constantly maneuver around shopping bags all over my apartment floors.

I don't want to get sick, I don't want to make anyone sick but I am sick and tired of being alone, sick and tired of no physical contact for weeks.

I'm also sick and tired of the judgement and the hate and the paranoia and the controversy and non-belief and those that fail to take any precautions and the list (sadly) goes on and on and on.

I'm going out May 15th. I'll be with friends. Join us or don't but it'd be cool if you'd stop being so judgmental about responsible people taking all the precautions and then choosing to engage in the legal and structured re-opening of our broken society and our severely damaged economy.

If you're choosing to head out on the 15th, the 21st and behind, please do it responsibly. Follow with care and consideration and respect all the new orders and rules that are in place. If you're sick, or feeling off, as much as you may want to go out, please stay home. Bring a mask, wear one whenever you can, between sips, when you are interacting with your server or bartender. Be excited but be courteous and respectful and please TIP.

Cheers.
Stay well friends.

#stayathome #covid19 #inthistogether #economy #open #fear #caution #drinkswithfriends #patio #samestorm #differentisland #differentboat #judge #judgmental #precaution #maskon #mask #becalmandwashyourhands #washyourhands #staywell #cheers

Random thoughts and tidbits 20200410

You'd think given my schedule since my last day at work in December (I don't even remember the last day I was at my job at the zoo, it was the week of Christmas) I'd be all caught up on responding to texts and my email in-box would be all cleaned up. My google photos should all be organized and shared where appropriate, etc. My apartment should be spic 'n span clean and well organized and all of that fun stuff.

Not so much.

January, February and most of March was spent scrambling to make ends meet: essentially working six part-time jobs: pet-sitting, cross-guarding, Taco Tuesday at one bar, scrubbing floors at a bar Wed, Thrs, Fri, working brunch at a bar every other Sunday, Ubering and doing Ubereats. Lots and lots of hours and the remaining hours of my life spent stressed-stressed and trying to figure out when to shit, shower, shave, shop and sleep! 

I have been worse at responding to text messages (currently over 100 unread texts [darn it]) and I've hardly checked email except when I'm expecting something to come through; that's proven to be a poor decision: oops!

Just last night I finished backing up my photos to google photos, I had over 1,000 to back-up. Not sure when I last did a back-up but I was still at the zoo when I did. I tend to take a lot of photos. I received a message there are over 13,000 pics to delete from my phone: oh. boy!

I did spend a couple hours last night unsubscribing from junk emails, deleting emails, responding to emails and sending out a few emails I just hadn't gotten to. I am down to just over 600 unread (or otherwise unattended to) emails from about 1500 unread. 

The goal this weekend is to whittle down unopened/un-responded to texts: I love the reactions from folks when I just casually respond to a text from weeks prior as if three weeks hasn't passed. I also appreciate that my friends tolerate this from me and know that my intentions are good and if they really need me all they have to do is say it and I'll hop to.

A few things I have gotten to since bars and restaurants were first shut down: 
*I have organized all my plastic food storage containers: tops with bottoms, all stacked in a lovely manner and all nicely stored. I also have dozens of containers with lids I do not need and will not use and I cannot wait until this weird-o pandemic time is over so I can get these out of my life and donated somewhere (unless you need some: let me know!). All matched up containers, I just have too many and my heart won't let me throw them away!

*I have sorted through, organized, packed-up, delivered and have had picked up most of the pet supplies I had on-hand. I have maintained an often times overwhelming amount of these donated supplies: mostly food and treat donations but also a significant volume of toys and collars/leashes, grooming supplies, pet clothes and other random tidbits. Given I am not hosting the large, spring fundraiser (unrelated to the pandemic) and the fact that stores have been curbside pick-up for weeks now and therefore there are no donations to pick-up I figured now was as good a time as any to unload and hang up my hat in this arena. I was planning on continuing to contribute to the rescue community in this capacity until this fall (September 2020 puts me 20 years off and on [mostly on] volunteering/working in rescue in my community) but seems like a good time to stop now and then I'll be exiting the rescue community altogether (or as much as is possible considering how intertwined this is with my life). I have one project up my sleeve that was in process before COVID19 hit, hopefully this project can still come to fruition this fall: we shall see. 
  
*I have sorted through almost all my clothes bins and pulled out items for donation, items for resale (God I hope The Designer Consignor survives this shut down and reopens!) and items to be recycled, did you know that Savers recycles textiles? I make separate bags of clothes that are just dead: too old, too torn, too worn, etc. and leave them in the donation bins with a "to be recycled" note attached. I need to research whether or not they recycle shoes: if they do that's awesome, if they don't I need to find a place to send dead shoes. I hope I can collect shoes from family and friends and send a few good sized boxes/year to be recycled/upcycled.

*I have re-potted a couple of plants, have potted some self-propagated plants. I have two more to attend to but don't have appropriate vessels so they will have to wait until non-essential shopping can be done again responsibly. 

*I have gotten all caught up on the recycling in my life. Sounds weird but my apartment tends to be full of recycling to be attended to in some fashion: items drying, cans to be crushed, cans with labels to be removed (you can take the labels to the city service garage and add to their shredded paper recycling 😁), plastic/glass recycling to be taken to the service garage and paper/cardboard recycling to take to donation bins, etc. I have eight (yes, eight!) recycling containers in my apartment: a box for paper/cardboard, a box to go to the city, a garbage can for aluminum cans and one for steel cans. I have small bathroom sized garbage cans for aluminum lids (I keep them separate because the way the scrap yard I use contains cans to be recycled leads to these things flying all over if they're not bagged separately) and steel lids (see previous reason) and one for random steel/other metal recycling and a small container for copper for when I have some. Being caught up with recycling is HUGE, I just need the scrap yard to reopen so I can clear out everything I have in my storage unit (It's taking over!). 

*Just tonight (hours and hours after I started this post!) I finished adding pics to an album for a farewell party for my friend Brigid before she moved to Tahoe in October 2018 and actually shared it with her. I also spent hours uploading pics (172 officially!) from my friend Jamie's wedding this past October. Sure, this wouldn't have taken quite as much time if I hadn't accidentally clicked "add to library" and had to spend an hour sorting/deleting pics from my phone, google photos library and the wedding album on google! I have effectively deleted 400 pictures from my phone tonight! Just shy of 13,000 more to sort through 👌 

*I feel like there's something I'm not remembering..it's been a long, exhausting, stress-filled three-ish months. 

Those are my random thoughts for today. 
I hope you are well, stay well and strive for happiness always.
Leah

Food storage container organization success pics below: for no good reason!

#projects #life #choices #recycle #storage #tasks #todo #todolists #email #text #sort #delete #donations #rescue #pictures #albums #sharing #plants #clothes  

New Post 2020

It's been so much longer than I realized since I last visited here. 

Looking back on previous posts and pending blogs I never posted was a fast blast to the past. 

Sad in a lot of ways.

I don't know what prompted me to visit or write today...beware.

We're in the midst of a pandemic here and throughout the entire world. It is a strange and scary time. I continue to walk daily but find myself losing my breath when I walk through the city I have called home since I was seven years old. 

Lakewood, OH will never be the same (like many places in this world). I walk by business after business wondering if they'll survive, knowing that many will not: no matter the dedication of our citizens, the business owners themselves or the help the city is offering in small business loans for rent. The federal government is offering loans too but what so many of these businesses need is a gift. I will never, ever understand bailouts for billion-dollar companies and loans for the little people: never. I am sad because while it is an honor to call so many small business owners 'friend' I know that I will feel their heartache with them when/if the end comes for them. It would be lovely to think they'll all survive but that's foolhardy and I know too many too well to think everyone will be ok.

I tend to look at things in detail lots of time: how far reaching (whether good or bad) situations are. Loss of income for so many businesses means loss of taxes for the city. Loss of income for so many citizens means loss of taxes for the city. Luckily our current, new mayor took the reigns of the city while we held a significant surplus, sad to see that it will be necessary to make the way through so much of it in order to maintain the amazing city services and responses we are used to. It's hard to walk through my city today but I am dedicated to continuing to shop here whenever possible: big or small business. I will spend my dollars here, maybe more than in the past to tell myself I am helping to save her, this city that I love. 

I have friends in the front lines: medical, stores, utilities, etc. I have friends who have lost their jobs: bars, restaurants, drivers and so many friends (thankfully) that have been able to maintain their jobs but work from home or whose hours hours, etc. have been adjusted. I have friends that teach and worry about their school kids, their actual kids. I have friends whose kids are losing out on their senior year in high school and their freshman year in college and my heart aches for them all. It isn't fair and my heart wants to take that pain from you all, I wish this year were ending as you had all hoped and dreamed.

I am worried and sickened by the impact this is having on our environment. There has always been necessary "waste" in many businesses, hospitals and medical are one that I have never begrudged. I wish it wasn't so but it is and it's necessary. Everyone wearing gloves and masks: *sigh*. Sure - it's not hurting you to do so but while the medical personnel are in need: please stop. And stop throwing your gloves and masks "away" in parking lots all over: everywhere.

Also: is it just me or is it sickeningly PATHETIC that hospitals and mayors and governors are begging for donations of hand-made masks: here, in the USA. Forget DPAS and the fact that our idiot in charge neglected to enact it (too little, too late?) until just now - how are we so ass-backwards behind and glaringly unprepared and ignorant to needs of our front line personnel? This is embarrassing, alarming and telling. Also: be prepared to treat the president right or watch your citizens die. In what world do we actually live?  

Since January I have been unfriending folks on FB. Folks I only know by mild association, folks I have only volunteered with or managed as a volunteer coordinator or: on and on generic reasons. I started with 1311 friends on 01/04 and am down to 1058 as of today. It's easier and easier to let go of "friends" and life is easier for each "unfriend" I click. Consider who/what makes your life happy and stop "collecting" friends. We're adults, it's exhausting and life is easier with actual, real friends. 

I quit my big-girl job this year. I was miserable. Literally went to see my PCP because I thought I might be going into early menopause: hot flashes all the time at work. Stomachaches just thinking about going into work. I quit my job with no plan, no money, no savings. I was making it work: pet-sitting, Ubering, working three bar jobs, becoming a crossing guard (which I was really actually enjoying!) and today I accepted a job offer as Manager of Operations and Development for a small non-profit in my community. I was proud of myself for having figured it out for over two-months, was looking forward to potentially lasting all summer with my four or five p/t jobs. I was going to road-trip it to Montana and Charleston: I'm so irritated this pandemic is keeping me from those things and making me get a big girl job again.

I am grateful for what will be 3.5 months "free" of the daily grind. I am grateful for this career opportunity, grateful for all those p/t jobs. I am grateful to the bar I have worked at for over 1.5 years offering the opportunity to work on some projects and keep a few bucks coming in, for sharing fresh produce and for being gracious about it all. So glad I am friends with their manager looking for "one night a week" coverage way back when - hard to fill but that's all I needed and these folks have become my family. I am grateful for the time to try and manage some projects: from little to big: food storage containers to deep cleaning to storage unit organizations. 

I was doing a good job of staying away from social media so much before this whole pandemic madness hit: now social media is (again) a gift in a lot of ways. Also: too.much.pandemic.coverage. Maybe I'll just blog again: who knows. I was never that dedicated before but I always enjoyed it. 

This is the end of this today. I wanted to post some picture but didn't know what to share. I share this picture of my beautiful friend Lauren. The last post before today was the day she died; I let grammar and spelling leave me in order to post from the soul. Beauty and tragedy and warm memories all wrapped in one. So much impact and inference for the future, much like where we are today. 

To life, to friends, tragedy and the unknown: may we all be better for experiencing it together.

Love, 
Leah

Lauren M. DiCesare
11-16-75 - 11-12-14

My friend died today

We were eleven when we first met. She had these big, beautiful breasts and we all wanted to hate her for them...except she was beautiful and kind and her dimples went on for miles.

So she became our friend.

These are some of my random memories of my dear friend...we were little then:

bike rides through the MetroParks. I know exactly where we hid our bikes and wandered off to sun on the rocks. I have this one picture that takes my breath away from then...

We pierced each other's ears. Mine hers and her mine, We were stupid.

Her then step dad introduced us to egg-drop soup: Campbell Noodles chicken soup with an egg cooked into it: who knew!

She gave me a button down FORENZA shirt that i still wear to bed to this day.

she gave me a blue silk nightgown i somehow lost track of over the years

we used to listen to U2 ALL.THE.TIME. (and sometimes REM). Bullet the Blue Sky, Helter Skelter, Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without you...we listed to these songs (and more) for hours.

We used to read the exact same books at the exact same time. mostly Stephen King and Anne Rice. we'd get so excited and so lost in the story. The Talisman will forever hold a place in my heart...we'd jump up and down on our beds so excited to talk about where the book was going!

I'd rub her back and she'd rub mine...for hours,

I watched my beautiful friend bear a child. I fought the battle of mental illness and drug and alcohol with her and, as is life, i lost track of her along the way.

there are 100 million more stories but today i focus on what i have to give, now.

seriously. 10+ years since we last knew her, she fell into our laps. I played big girl and called her last Thrs (less than a week ago) and talked with her. I went this past Saturday with my lifelong friend's mom (I could not go alone), I hugged her, kissed, her, told her i loved her.

I made plans with my parents to see her this Saturday and hopefully start reading to her,

it's so weird that life goes on but, it does.

today i remember my friend and all of the secrets and hiding places and everything else we had...including our fistfight.

i love you friend. i am overwhelmed with memory and emotion. i miss you, i just re-visited your message to remain poetic. i lost way some but will come back around.

poetry is not hard when you're surrounded by such beauty.

you are missed. i am sorry we missed out on so may years.
i am  sorry cancer killed you.
know that you were sought after and loved, always.

Good-bye Lauren
I love you forever.
Leah

There's a racist amongst us

It's one of those things you try to ignore, because believing it is true is too hard.

Comments like "monkey" talking about black sports players. Hints and tips here and there that someone "in your circle" might actually be racist. A real, hate-mongering racist. 

Because of their stance in your life there's not a whole lot you say or do.

Until they say words like "Nigger" and "Spics" and "A-Rabs" (emphasis on the "A").

It actually makes you feel like you're in the twilight zone when it hits you that this person might actually be a racist. And then, they just declare it. They just out and out say: "I'm a racist." 

And...wait, what?! Did that just happen? 
And it did...

So, all you can do is leave. 

There's no arguing with ignorance. 
You strap on your strength to not try and fight with ignorance and you leave.

And then you're eternally sad. 

Sad for the influence this person has on people in your life. 
Sad for this person for being so smart and so ignorant. 
Sad over the worry they might teach hate and racism to a future generation. 

And you realize, sadly that your relationship with several people just changed forever.

There's no time for ignorance and hate today. There just isn't.

Happy New Year 2014

It’s another new year…and I’ll take it!

So, in the tune of well-wishing and good luck wishes for the New Year:

First, what I do not wish:

I do not wish for you a perfect life…I like you more than that!

I wish for you happiness and gratefulness and perspective.

For all of these wishes to come true; I wish for you a life and a world that offers enough trials and tribulations to keep you honest and true and hard-working and grateful.

I wish for you a kind heart so you help strangers…be it folks who need a meal, animals who need a foster home or a family member or friend (or any relationship) that needs a little more understanding and possibly a bit of forgiveness.

I wish for you patience as you realize the steps mentioned before often don’t happen just the way we want. Be patient and keep trying.

I wish for you income and a home and a way to feed, bathe and clothe yourself and yours. I wish for you true appreciation of the SO much more so many of us are lucky to have, above and beyond these few treasures mentioned here.

I wish for you an appreciation of a life without drama. I wish for you the strength to drive those from your life that bring drama to your doorstep. Be that strong. Drama thrives on attention; give it none.

I wish for you the time you need to remain calm when life throws a wrench your way. I wish for you the ability to breathe, focus and know that in the end, it will be ok.

I wish for you a relationship/partnership/marriage (or whatever it is that you want) that makes you happy. Not one that fills the day, not one that you just happen to be used to, not one that is easier to stay in than get away from so now you’re stuck. I wish you a partner that makes you truly happy and a life and circumstance with your partner that makes your truly happy.

I wish for you the time and inclination to reflect on the above and make appropriate changes in your life if you need to; I really do.

I wish for you so many little things:

Happy days, warm sunshine, laughter that makes your face hurt and your belly ache, walks with pooches, kitten purrs, beach-glass hunting.  

A brisk walk in a blowing snow, a good glass of wine in front of a roaring fire and toes nestled in fresh grass or sand on a beach.

A bird, with giant wings floating on the sky that you just happen to catch a glimpse of.

At least a couple times where you can sleep in.

Drinks with friends when you need them: good coffee, warm tea or a ton of booze: whatever the situation calls for!

A good meal – one you prepare for others and ones that get prepared for you.

A good book to read, music you can dance to and the ability to enjoy both.

I wish so many wonderful things for all of us.

I don’t believe in resolutions but I enjoy the freshness of a new year and the hope that since the year is new, it holds promise for us all.

My last wish is that you realize what promise lies within you and that now; above any other time, now is the time to grab hold, bust loose, hunker down or kick-ass…whatever it takes to make this the very best life for you.

Cheers friends.

Must everyone be an "expert" on PPACA?

I'm betting some of the "experts" out there don't even know what PPACA stands for and initially have no idea what this post is about.
I shall tell you - it's all about the oh-so-many of folks out there that are now experts on "Obamacare" and health insurance in general.
I worked in the healthcare industry for 18 years. I know about health insurance. I have managed two small businesses, I know about group insurance premiums. I have an individual health plan, I know about individual health plans. I know what an HSA is, I know how a FSA works and I know many of the rules surrounding both and I bet most of you don't.

I know that the commercial on television that is either republican or tea party based that talks about how this woman doesn't want her children to just be a number in the government's system is stupid. Duh - we are ALL numbers in the "government's system" - have you never heard of social security numbers?
I wonder if the people so vehemently against "government run" health insurance have ever heard of Medicare. The government has been managing the healthcare of some of our most frail since the '60s folks. It's not perfect but its' fundamental idea is pretty good.

I think it's quite ironic that some of the folks posting hate for our president and hate for this plan are some of the most "christian" people I know. I think it's strange that I have stood elbow to elbow serving hot meals to folks in need or have seen the posts or pics of folks helping at the food bank from some of the people most against helping to equalize access to healthcare in the country. So you can give of your time and give sweat equity but you'd rather keep every penny for yourself and leave someone who dare not have insurance bleed and/or die in the street.

See - that's essentially what you're saying. That folks that don't (for the dozens [hundreds?] of reasons why they may not) have health insurance they should not receive health care. Because if they can't pay for it, and no one else should be expected to contribute to the assistance of others, then we should let them bleed to death or suffer the pains of terminal cancer or blah, blah, blah.

Of course, the alternative is to allow them (under our good graces as human-folk) to receive necessary, emergent medical care only (EMTALA) and then let them go bankrupt trying to pay the bills...because that is the monster that has become healthcare in this country. Is it your fault? No. It's not mine either. And it's not the fault of the folks who aren't lucky enough to be able to afford health insurance. See that's the thing people: too much of life is a crap-shoot and we shouldn't stand by and allow others to suffer an injustice of the world and of our society that has been in the works long before we got here. We should try to be heroes for those coming after. That at least we tried to fix things, at least we tried to care for others, we tried to make it better.

I believe people's health premiums are going up (but: they've been going up; year after year for many years), I believe nonsense plans are dropping coverage for people. This is NOT the president's fault. This is not the government's fault. Are you blaming the government after a catastrophic claim against your homeowners or car insurance totally jacks up your premium or causes you to get dropped? Of course not...because that would be silly, right? Don't you see the correlation? Part of your current car insurance is for un and under-insured drivers, right? You're paying to cover an accident caused by someone who can't (or won't - there are those) buy auto-insurance. Is that the president's fault? Nope. Does it protect you in the end? Of course. As does spreading out the cost of health coverage for the many, to the many - protects us all.

In the end it's about equalizing the cost and access of healthcare for all. In some time, as things shake out, healthcare costs: from an x-ray to an insurance premium should come down...but too many people are focused on their hate of a president or a political party or whatever else to see the forest through the trees. Instead folks spread hate and ignorance via FaceBook memes and Fox News quotes and anything that fits EXACTLY how they do or think they should feel...in alignment with their neighbors or their political party or their spouses or whatever else.

I don't believe that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is perfect. I'm not even that big of a fan of Obama in general. But I'm educated in this arena. I can't discuss or debate this with many people because people are SO hot about their hatred of PPACA and/or the president and/or democrats and/or the government as a whole (hell - no one likes the government except the government themselves, right? But we should be better...) that it's like folks can't see or think straight. It's weird to me.

So - if you can't discuss or debate this like a normal person and you don't want to actually learn true pros and cons of PPACA (it actually does have some good ideas rolling around in there!) then can you please just kindly keep your "expertise" on the matter to yourself? Stop sharing posts that are baseless (or are based in hate or ignorance). And if you're actually interested in learning about PPACA and/or discussing its' good and bad: let me know. I refuse to discuss such things on FB or via email or text but I am a calm and patient person and I actually know how to discuss and debate in person without fighting or swearing or losing a friend: I do.

In the end, you may still not believe in PPACA and that's ok but, if you can get beyond the hype, I truly believe a lot more people out there would at least begin to appreciate the underlying idea and at least lose some of the hate strangling their hearts. Life is too short to be so hostile about this.

Thanks for your time.
'Nighty-'night.