Resilience is magnified by optimism. (Photo by geralt/Pixabay) I am a news junkie. And I am an optimist.
As a nurse, I come to my optimism from the paradigm of the medical world. In that paradigm we understand that the human body is always tending toward healing itself until its last dying breath. The immune system is constantly fighting for health. I imagine planet earth is like the human body struggling to heal itself. This is resilience: the ability to remain healthy in the presence of risk factors. Resilience is magnified by optimism.
Maintaining optimism to build resilience requires stepping away from the very bad news that’s on TV night after night and self-inoculating with levity and celebration, or "cheer" as Rob Hopkins likes to say. My Transition mind looks for entertainment that’s local and preferably free. And so I celebrate small victories and delights every day in my life like saving energy by hanging clothes to dry rather than running the dryer and catching runoff water and sinking it into my front yard swales.
This month, I celebrate a list of nine recycling bills that have passed in California making our state a leader in reducing waste. Standards have been set for recycling old carpeting, for testing for micro plastics in our water system, and for reducing the prevalence of drinking straws. And an equal number of new bills are in the pipeline.
I also raise a glass to our city for the creation of a plan to substantially shift our energy sourcing to renewable energy away from fossil fuels. Stay tuned for the final report!
I cheer for new rebates our city will give for driving an electric vehicle and buying it locally.
I applaud our library on its 17th year of choosing one book for all citizens to read and discuss. The 2019 winners, yes, two this year, have just been announced. I love a good book recommendation!
Historically, Pasadena’s entertainment center has been the band shell in Memorial Park. I grieve the loss of summer evening’s options to attend concerts, cool off on the grass, run into friends, and enjoy the antics of the MarchFourth Marching Band or other musicians of fading renown. The band shell, previously known as Levitt Pavilion, is now known as the Pasadena Pavilion for the Performing Arts.
In this time of very bad news night after night on the TV, we need our entertainment, any reason to celebrate, laughter with friends, and cheer to uphold our resilience. I propose we rename the band shell Levity Pavilion.
Did you know that communicating anything to the City of Pasadena is as easy as sending an email? The city clerk will distribute your comments, ideas, encouragement and thanks: mjomsky@cityofpasadena.net.
—Therese Brummel
As a nurse, I come to my optimism from the paradigm of the medical world. In that paradigm we understand that the human body is always tending toward healing itself until its last dying breath. The immune system is constantly fighting for health. I imagine planet earth is like the human body struggling to heal itself. This is resilience: the ability to remain healthy in the presence of risk factors. Resilience is magnified by optimism.
Maintaining optimism to build resilience requires stepping away from the very bad news that’s on TV night after night and self-inoculating with levity and celebration, or "cheer" as Rob Hopkins likes to say. My Transition mind looks for entertainment that’s local and preferably free. And so I celebrate small victories and delights every day in my life like saving energy by hanging clothes to dry rather than running the dryer and catching runoff water and sinking it into my front yard swales.
This month, I celebrate a list of nine recycling bills that have passed in California making our state a leader in reducing waste. Standards have been set for recycling old carpeting, for testing for micro plastics in our water system, and for reducing the prevalence of drinking straws. And an equal number of new bills are in the pipeline.
I also raise a glass to our city for the creation of a plan to substantially shift our energy sourcing to renewable energy away from fossil fuels. Stay tuned for the final report!
I cheer for new rebates our city will give for driving an electric vehicle and buying it locally.
I applaud our library on its 17th year of choosing one book for all citizens to read and discuss. The 2019 winners, yes, two this year, have just been announced. I love a good book recommendation!
Historically, Pasadena’s entertainment center has been the band shell in Memorial Park. I grieve the loss of summer evening’s options to attend concerts, cool off on the grass, run into friends, and enjoy the antics of the MarchFourth Marching Band or other musicians of fading renown. The band shell, previously known as Levitt Pavilion, is now known as the Pasadena Pavilion for the Performing Arts.
In this time of very bad news night after night on the TV, we need our entertainment, any reason to celebrate, laughter with friends, and cheer to uphold our resilience. I propose we rename the band shell Levity Pavilion.
Did you know that communicating anything to the City of Pasadena is as easy as sending an email? The city clerk will distribute your comments, ideas, encouragement and thanks: mjomsky@cityofpasadena.net.
—Therese Brummel
