I was gently reminded by one of my regular readers at a party recently that I had not written anything for quite a while. I had intended to sit down the next day and write something. The next day when I opened the blog to write I sat staring at the blank screen as if in a coma. No, I didn't have writer's block to blame. I wish I did. It would have been preferable to the depressing paralysis that I have been going through since the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, that fairy-tale-like city that young girls dream of visiting to find romance. "April in Paris," An American In Paris, Evening in Paris...songs, movies and even perfumes named after the iconic City of Lights. People aren't supposed to be murdered as they socialize with friends in a local cafe, cheer on their favorite soccer team or rock band. I'm not a philosopher or even a social commentator; just a city girl transplanted to an alpaca farm in the country. Like most of you I have had a lot of trouble processing this awful time. Then about the time I decided to just turn off the news, along came another attack; this one in a hotel in Mali. I don't know how to process all of this violence and hatred. I wish I could offer some sage advice on how to deal with it. I can't. I've gotten over my first fearful reaction and have decided to choose to live my life just as I always have. I'll go to malls, travel, go to a show if I feel like it. I'll try not to look suspiciously at anyone who may look or sound differently than I do. I'll do my best to be happy and to do what I can to help those around me be happy, too. We all learned to deal with the changes since the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. We'll learn to deal with this new type of terrorism, too. But wouldn't it be so much nicer if we all just got along? I wish, I wish...
I'll leave you with a more serene image. One that I'm am so lucky to have in my own back yard.