While I do, in my moments scream at clouds or running off into the forest in disgust, I have to remember to see the small beauty all around me. Chatting with the old lady who loves the rocks I leave out near the sidewalk, the smile from a store cashier when I make a joke, the neighbor who brings over a misdelivered package, the little rabbits eating our garden, the local cat strolling in an open door like he owns the place, returning our next door dog to his owners after he escaped, that perfect thunderstorm that cooled down the afternoon.

Things are always weird. I first came across the term "The Quickening" back in the late 1980's. The idea that it was all going to hell, accelerating towards doom. I see it being used more in some of the more fringe websites I monitor.

Doom sells. Supplements, gold, freeze dried food. Me, I keep aiming for optimism, to see the world with a child's eyes, even as mine get old, blurry, and a bit dry. I refuse to let the bastards get me down.

Pretty much same as it ever was.