She Helps.....

Mid-July and the pandemic continues.....and the DC craziness continues....and the stresses continue....and the worry continues....and the day-by-dayness of this all just continues. I've stopped counting the days since we began our self-quarantine back in March and continued our careful socializing week after week....month after month. And I remind myself I am fortunate....we are fortunate. We are retired and not trying to homeschool any children, or work from home while balancing parenting, or put food on the table, or pay the rent. We are fortunate.

But reminding myself of that doesn't seem to stop any of my worries, concerns and head scratching as the stories and claims change day to day. The health care rules are debated...over and over and over. The to-mask or not-to-mask camps are at a standoff. "Leadership" from the Oval Office is confusing at best....and fanning the flames of anger at worst.

For me, aside from some regular TV or radio news coverage during the day, I turn to one source of information that helps to explain things and offers an educated explanation of day-to-day events.
I turn to Heather Cox Richardson. She is a professor of American History at Boston College, an author and she sifts through dozens, if not hundreds, of sources to track down information and provides a daily letter to all of her followers. In it she explains the events from the day before....and puts them in context for me.

Her letter pops up on Facebook every morning during the work week and sometimes on weekends. She also has two live video chats every week. On Tuesday she answers three or four questions sent to her about current politics and what the hell is happening. She provides analysis, explanation and answers with historical perspective. On Thursdays she presents a series.....currently I am on week six covering "The History of the Republican Party" and feel like I am sitting in a college class and should be taking notes. I am learning so much.

Heather Cox Richardson. If you haven't listened to her or read her posts I suggest you do so. Just pretend you are back in college, sit and listen to the professor at her podium You don't have to accept all her facts, and she invites you to challenge her but if you do, be prepared with facts to support your arguments.

Go to Youtube and put in her name. All of her video classes are available. Go to her Facebook page and read her daily letters....track them backwards for several months if you can. Fascinating reading.

Heather Cox Richardson.