Slow Down

Lovers' Stroll at Midnight

A radio news story irked Tom, wouldn't let him alone.

Unkind words to me - from a stranger - looped and spun my mind around and around in an off-kilter sort of way.

We were grumbly, frowny, withdrawn, and tense. Not upset with each other, just unable to unwind. Relentless frustration blocked reasonableness. We knew what was happening, even tried to console each other. It didn't work.

Midnight found Tom changing from street clothes into sleeping clothes and me changing from pajamas into walking clothes.

"What are you doing?" asked my tense husband.

In muted tones I responded, "I'm going for a walk to clear my mind. Feel free to join me. It's nice outside."

"Okay, sure."

Arm in arm we walked, speaking in hushed tones so as to not disturb a slumbering neighborhood. After just half a block the cares of the day began to flow and smooth off our backs like a wake behind a boat, only to dissolve amidst green, freshly-mown lawns, bulbous red tulips, infant rhododendron blooms, and new leaves sticking out of dark, twisty branches silhouetted against the night sky.

I could feel my muscles slowly relaxing, my mind regaining its equilibrium. Tom's arm felt softer under my hand as his elbow drew me closer.

"Oh, Tom," I whispered as we stopped on the park's winding path, "Look at the stars!" Bright, twinkling, comforting. Right where they were supposed to be.

"Makes you feel better, somehow, doesn't it?" Tom responded.

"Yeah, it does."

We stood there for a few minutes, just gazing upwards, letting the universe calm our silly stresses.

As we walked the last three blocks home, our conversation turned to funny things we'd experienced during the day. By the time we reached our welcoming front porch we were completely calm and happy.

We both slept marvelously well last night.

Midnight walk under a romantic sky. Good choice.

Movie Woman

If you are in the mood for a movie, perhaps one nobody you know has heard of, or if you want to be forewarned of a clunker, I recommend visiting Cassie's blog. She finds trailers for all sorts of interesting movies, offers her lively opinions, and often, after she has viewed the films herself once they become available, gives spirited, insightful reviews.

Many a drippy, dreary weekend evening around here has been lightened, rescued, and enlivened thanks to Cassie's deep-digging research.

Enjoy your visit to A Little Step Into My Head!

Liberal Political Madness

Here is an excerpt from the book, The Liberal Mind, by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr., MD. Haven't read it, yet. Must say, it's intriguing.

"The Liberal Mind is the first in-depth examination of the major political madness of our time: the radical left’s efforts to regulate the people from cradle to grave. To rescue us from our troubled lives, the liberal agenda recommends denial of personal responsibility, encourages self-pity and other-pity, fosters government dependency, promotes sexual indulgence, rationalizes violence, excuses financial obligation, justifies theft, ignores rudeness, prescribes complaining and blaming, denigrates marriage and the family, legalizes all abortion, defies religious and social tradition, declares inequality unjust, and rebels against the duties of citizenship. Through multiple entitlements to unearned goods, services and social status, the liberal politician promises to ensure everyone’s material welfare, provide for everyone’s healthcare, protect everyone’s self-esteem, correct everyone’s social and political disadvantage, educate every citizen, and eliminate all class distinctions. Radical liberalism thus assaults the foundations of civilized freedom. Given its irrational goals, coercive methods and historical failures, and given its perverse effects on character development, there can be no question of the radical agenda's madness. Only an irrational agenda would advocate a systematic destruction of the foundations on which ordered liberty depends. Only an irrational man would want the state to run his life for him rather than create secure conditions in which he can run his own life. Only an irrational agenda would deliberately undermine the citizen’s growth to competence by having the state adopt him. Only irrational thinking would trade individual liberty for government coercion, sacrificing the pride of self-reliance for welfare dependency. Only a madman would look at a community of free people cooperating by choice and see a society of victims exploited by villains."  ~~From The Liberal Mind; The Psychological Causes of Political Madness by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr., MD