I received some bad news this morning. Really bad. Likely to have far-reaching consequences. I’m distracted. I feel shock, sadness, shame. I want to run to social media to find out more and the thought of wallowing in the commiseration revolts me.

I’m struggling to remember the good advice I know about catastrophe. Breathe. Put one foot in front of the other. Be gentle with yourself. Count your blessings.

Seems like a black hole at the moment, a Herculean task. But I have tools for approaching big tasks. You break them down into smaller chunks. You envision the goal. You assess current reality and available resources. You evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Don’t contribute to the chaos. That’s what I can do. Fear and hatred got us here. If I want peace and understanding and wisdom and open-mindedness in the world I have to put it in there myself.