Distracted from the Creative Fires

Or Falling Victim to the Woes of Current Affairs

I look up from my morning writing. The sun lights treetops while the trunks and the hemlocks remain dark. The brook, too, is dark, although the yellow, orange, and brown leaves create colorful blankets on the hill, tops of rocks and in the crevices of the tree roots stretched along the far side banking of the brook.

With the fall of the leaves, I can now see more of the house across the brook with the sunlight reflecting brightly on the white wall of the building. The guy walks his dog along the flat ridge above the brook. Neighbor-kitty, Leo, keeps watch from my deck. Yellow leaves continue to float slowly downward in the wind.

I turn to look out the front windows. The ducks and goose across the street are out in their little field. The ducks love the little puddles left in furrows from last night’s rain. They dip their heads, shake their wings, and wag those cute little tails. The goose keeps a watchful eye. They make me chuckle as do the chickens exploring the edges of the field.

I managed to finish three paintings recently and two more are in process on the easels. However, I find it hard to concentrate these days. The news, current affairs, and constant barrage of what we should and shouldn’t do is like dumping buckets of cold water on my creative fire. Every day I find myself falling into a deep sadness and any motivation turns to wet, soggy, smelly embers.

I go in the studio, pick up a pastel, then end up just staring out the window as I find it hard to get past the latest headline I heard or saw. The (what I call) ugliness is thrown in my face every day. I’m finding myself pulling back farther and farther and avoiding people. My world narrows. I don’t even want to go anywhere anymore.

Lately, my main connection to the world is through Facebook and sometimes that’s depressing, too. I search for something to bring me a bit of hope. Yes, there is some, but with MSM only promoting certain sides, it’s hard to find true honesty. I don’t know what to believe anymore …

Wait a minute, I do know what to believe and it’s not what’s being shoved in my face!

As a history buff, I’m dismayed to discover that what’s happening recently is too similar to what happened in the past – and all we, as Americans, fought against. What happened to our country that we’ve given in to the same promises Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, and other dictators promised their people before the axes fell and their true intentions were revealed? What happened to all the ideals the United States was built on?

No, we weren’t/aren’t perfect. We are no longer a united country, but a country divided into races with each race demanding preference over the others. It’s not about equality anymore. It’s not even about us all being human beings. It’s about each race wanting special privileges.

And, as long as the word FREE is thrown in, the sheep will follow.