Some times I need to deep breathe when reading posts.

[irisblue]

[lordsummerisle]

1. Breathing deep is good

...better than holding your breath.

[TDale313]

2. Agreed.

Some of the posts tonight are seriously making my blood pressure rise.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

3. Repeat after me . . .

IN, one, two, three.

HOLD, one, two, three.

OUT, one, two, three.

HOLD, one, two, three.

Repeat.

Try that one a few times. It always helps me. If that fails, I go for the 15 year old Glenmorangie.

[irisblue]

5. Liquor stores close here in half hour.

And it's freaking cold.

I'll make a hot decafe sweet tea for tonight.

[JHan]

6. every day

[sprinkleeninow]

7. It's quite disconcerting to have heard the latest on VA's governor;

hearing it on the evening news and reading further on here.

1984: These depictions clearly defined as smacking of racism. Whether that was intent or not. My God, even well before that.

I don't know what to say. Other than this is very unfortunate coming to light. Even so, the Lt. Gov., if he steps up eventually, then so be it.

[JHan, 😍]

[rogue emissary]

8. Kick and Recommend

[The Polack MSgt]

9. Breathe in Blue

Breathe out red.

Then take a long sip of liquor

[spicysista]

10. I had to step away, altogether.

I could not believe the crap I was reading. These are my progressive allies? WTF, man? When I starting morphing into a female version of Sam Jackson (softly muttering F-bombs under my breath), I knew it was time for me to step away. I wasn't exhaling properly at all.
This has made me sick.

[Boomer]

11. Checking white privilege is a long, slow process

And I'm really sorry for that. I'm not apologizing for all the other white people (I don't have that right), but for myself.

I didn't start out in a place as ugly as that where Northam stood as a young man, but I was oblivious and ignorant enough at that age to not understand the significance of that photograph. I grew up in the 1950s, in Texas, and although I never heard any overtly racist views from my parents, they also never discussed issues of race. I was on my own to absorb them from the general culture.

I'm in my 60s now and I've learned so much, but every day I find that I still have a ways to go. Perhaps the best lesson I've learned is that when I'm faced with an issue such as Northam's sudden photo reveal, I need to listen before I speak. I had some initial opinions, but I didn't air them out on DU. Instead I came here (quite literally the AA Group) to listen and compare.

It's not anyone's responsibility to tutor me, and I would imagine that gets really tiresome (been there with explaining myself as a gay person), but it's really helped me learn. In the end, I hope that pays off for all of you.

More than anything, I really wish more white people would just stfu -- both on DU and elsewhere -- and listen.

[irisblue]

12. 🤦 🤦 🤦🤦

gotta get more tums at the grocery tomorrow

[Kind of Blue]

13. I'm with spicysista, sometimes I just

gotta back the fuck off from it. Take Care of Yourself, irisblue. It's just too much weight to carry all the time

[irisblue]

14. If I don't say something, who will? I'm not all that great at seeing clearly,

All the time, but damn.
Straight up white supremacy, maybe unwitting, but damn.

[Kind of Blue]

15. Oh, wow. I think part of our journey is not

to go crazy. The if I don't say something who will is naturally a part of it, too, and is all-consuming always. Honestly, I think it's meant to drive us and allies up the wall because it's deep psychological warfare as well, beside all the normal problems, tragedies and joys of life.

This may sound crazy. I think part of Nina Simone's psychological breakdown was because of being in the fight all the time and not getting help sooner because we're expected to be strong 24-7. You know the medical world think we don't feel pain as intensely as others...lol! I think it's why Lorraine Hansberry died so young. As in this article about the documentary, "What Happened, Miss Simone?," What is it to walk in the shoes of Nina Simone, a dark-skinned Black American girl born in the South? What is it to experience the rejections, the hurts and still keep it together enough to execute at a superior level? That is enough to drive anyone mad. And this good film was about her genius on many layers but as if nothing more affected her but being a mad genius. https://shadowandact.com/the-irresponsibility-of-what-happened-miss-simone/

So I keep Simone and Hansberry and Eric Garner's daughter, Erica, and Freddie Gray's mother in mind to keep calm while being a soldier. The toll is too much and I just don't believe that our lot is not to experience joy, self-love and self-care, as well.