The media, understandably, tends to focus on the difficulties the residents of this planet face, so it’s easy to forget that there are good things happening as well.
But, if you’d like to read some positive/uplifting stories, consider subscribing to A Bit of Good News.
“I really never thought I’d ever in my career write a ‘mass graves in New York City’ story.” –Ed Mazza
I finished work in a very bad place.
I’d sat at my desk around 9 p.m. on Thursday, determined to stay in a “Friday” frame of mind. Minutes after opening a browser, however, I discovered that the United States had assassinated the highest ranking Iranian general in an airstrike. This development did not bode well for the future, which quickly became evident when “World War 3” became the number one trending topic on Twitter. Like me, others were remembering history and examining the possible geopolitical chess moves that were likely to occur in the coming days.
It didn’t take long for Iran to react, and as you can imagine, its leaders were furious. The U.S. president responded by tweeting a pixelated American flag. Republicans backed his play. Democrats decried the use of force without Congressional approval. Liberals urged leaders to be cautious; they also suggested such an attack was meant to dissuade Americans from voting out an impeached president during such a scary moment in time. And the hawks began to “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war.”
Historians and security experts suggested that retaliation was bound to occur and offered various possible scenarios, many of which escalated to apocalyptic levels. Political leaders in target cities began to take measures meant to increase security — or at least provide a sense of it. One poor fellow disembarked from a plane at LAX late last night only to discover the airport was filled with soldiers. What could have possibly happened while he was in the air, he wondered.
As the night wore on, I noticed that many of the people in my cyber social circle couldn’t sleep. Oh, a few dropped off with plans to disappear into a book or a marathon of streaming shows, and really, who could blame them? Others kept returning to the Web, desperately searching for more information.
That’s where I came in.
I spent the overnight hours tracking these conversations, weeding through the chaff and searching for news. By the end of my shift, our news org had published nearly a dozen stories about the assassination, including an article detailing Iran’s promised response, a profile of the slain general and a look back at the president’s past comments on launching a war with Iran during an election year. All of the other terrible things happening in the world — the devastating fires in Australia, the deadly floods in Indonesia, the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, the continued separation and detention of families on the southern border, yet another woman making allegations of sexual misconduct against the president — were pushed down the page to make way for this latest calamity.
When my 10-hour shift finally ended, I had a migraine. My chest felt tight. Every muscle in my neck and shoulders and back was tense in a way I hadn’t felt since the middle of November when I was able to take a vacation and enjoy the holidays. Alas, that sense of peace and relaxation was gone.
So when morning came and the daywalkers took over, I shut down my computer and retired to the chair in the library. To my right was a stack of books, my iPad and a large cup of tea. Chilled by the events of the night, which continued to swirl inside my head, I donned a blanket and put up the footstool. Mere moments later, Bast sent me a couple of kitties to begin the process of detoxifying my mind. Treacle settled on my lower legs and purred herself to sleep. Choux leaped into my lap and softly kneaded my belly. Chai hopped onto my chest and demanded affection. Thoroughly covered in feline therapy, I closed my eyes, took my first deep breath of the night and silently thanked her for their help.
At the end of each year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2019. I:
* Produced/edited hundreds of breaking news stories about the presidency — and impeachment — of Donald Trump, the investigation into Russian election interference in the 2016 election, another government shutdown, numerous mass shootings (including 3 in one week), Brexit, the wildfires in California, Australia and Brazil, Hurricane Dorian, the protests in Hong Kong, immigration and the continued forced separation/detention of children at the border, the college admissions scam, the run-up to the 2020 election, dozens of celebrity deaths and the birth of a royal baby.
* Penned 21 journal entries.
* Passed the 58,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker).
* Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.
* Maintained two Instagram accounts: @thejadewalker and @catsofjade. Finally became verified.
* Wrote 3 short stories.
* Submitted a photograph into the Manchester Art Contest and saw it framed and displayed at a local hotel.
* Entered a contest to win a writer’s retreat in the UK.
* Read 60 books and numerous magazines.
* Watched 46 films and dozens of TV programs.
* Went leafing in the White Mountains.
* Traveled to Quebec City for the first time.
* Spent a weekend in New York City.
* Participated in The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New Hampshire Writers Guild, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Authors Guild, PEN America and the Silent Book Club, Manchester, NH chapter.
* Helped coordinate ObitCon 2019 and the Grimmys contest.
* Created my second sourdough starter.
* Hosted three friends, six cats and a puppy dog in our home.
* Bought new glasses.
* Suffered through A LOT of dental work.
* Tried to get more sleep. Failed miserably, due to stress.
* Finally had a gas line installed in the kitchen and purchased a beautiful new stove. Also replaced our furnace.
* Planted a container garden and continued to decorate the back yard/deck with a dining table and chairs, a badminton net and a hammock.
* Started composting.
* Donated my hair to Locks of Love.
* Decorated the front and inside of our house for Christmas and mailed 40 Christmas cards.
* Suffered from at least 45 migraines and lost 67 days of my life to pain. Average headache duration: 34 hours, 56 minutes.
* Raised a litter of kittens into adulthood and cared for our two older feline beauties.
* Mourned the deaths of our 9-year-old dog Duncan and our 17-year-old cat Dany.
* Celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.
* Turned 46.
Goals for 2020
* Change careers.
* Avoid library fines.
* Organize the pantry.
* Plant more flowers and veg in the garden.
* Sleep at least 7 hours a night.
* Work on my fiction.
* Read at least 60 books.
* Practice hygge.
* Win the lottery.
“People may not have a lot of sympathy for journalists, whether they get access or not, but the result of the government stopping the press from covering events that are clearly in the public’s interest is that the public loses out. And the manhandling of reporters trying to answer questions, which we’ve already seen too much of in the Trump era, demonstrates the disregard some politicians and officials have for the public knowing what they’re doing.” —Michael Calderone
