Saturday night, we were sitting with friends by a fire pit, near a pond, watching the flames, watching a sliver of moon sink beyond the trees. The same moon sinking beyond the horizon, two hours later, in El Paso. The same moon that would be absent from the sky, early Sunday morning, in Dayton.
In the U.S., in 2019, so far, there have been 255 verified mass shootings. Nearly 8,800 people have died from guns. That total just increased by 31 souls.
There’s a lot I can do to increase my odds of living a long life with scleroderma. I’ve managed it for nearly four decades, now. Some of my resilience is genetic. I’m fortunate to have access to quality health care. But I’m also vigilant and diligent about making healthy choices.
None of us can control whether an active shooter with a semiautomatic weapon of war decides to show up at a Walmart, or a bar—or a school, a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a movie theatre, a festival—and spray the crowd with deadly fire. But we can make our voices heard. And we can vote to end this madness.
The Earth turns, unceasing, on its axis. Nothing in life ever remains the same. We cannot control the world around us, only our response.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Image: Terry Richmond
Thanks so much for this…I have lived with Scleroderma for 53 years and like you must manage it daily but I often forget how fragile life is for all of us especially in these times!
Thanks, Jackie. Be well.