It’s Monday and I have a couple of boxes out in the garage for a charity to pick up. I am decluttering, so I can usually scare up a box or two. One thing to go is my CD rack! I have an old Bose radio/CD player and I wore it out playing Leonard Cohen CDs. I need to buy something to play Leonard on, but Rob will have to figure out what I need.

These days I feel a constant pressure to keep my paperwork orderly. I am addicted to post-it pads. When it’s yellow, I feel mellow. And there are yellow sticky pads everywhere.

Part of aging is never knowing where anything might be filed (or forgotten.) The good part of aging is that I feel “off the hook” in a lot of ways. No more driving. No more social life. It’s just me, myself and I.

I appreciate those who commented positively on the essay about having two out of our four dying of cancer. It is now grist for the mill and I use every drop of it.

I cherish simplicity, truth and constant repetition. That is how Vernon Howard conveyed the message of truth to us. He urged us to cull our lives of falsehoods and never hesitate to be true to ourselves, because social lies were killing us. This is more true than ever, as politicians become killing machines. Humanity is facing decades of authoritarianism, so get ready!

The planet is in dire peril and it may be too late now to turn it around. We can try, and think we are succeeding, but Mother Earth is in the ICU and the signs are everywhere. Too hot and too “floody” to ignore her possible demise.

Let’s face it; human beings have turned to politics instead of to God and we all know how that is working out.

We escape spiritual death in only one way and that is by surrendering to the truth. Even when the surrender is made, most of us will forget that we made it and continue on with our destructive ways. God help us all.

Vicki Woodyard