I quit the news. It’s been a struggle, but for the last month leading up to the U.S. election I managed to pretty much eliminate it from my life. Of course it seeps in at times. I stamp it out like a grease fire in the kitchen. It tries so hard to tell me things. Especially the last few days. I know something is happening that is pretty monumental. But I’ve replaced all of that with art, creativity, books, and what I feel is a better life.

“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid in extraneous matters.” —Epictetus

What is extraneous? Mostly everything. It doesn’t mean I do nothing. I voted. Not sure if my vote ever arrived. It got mailed off into the ether. But I did what I could. I’ll continue to do what I can with my actions. I’ll still hear about the news, but it will have to come from the lips of others. I won’t deny them their talking points.

“But what if something happens?” Like what, a pandemic? The hostile takeover of my birth nation? All those are already in play. I probably will get some emails. I’ll look forward to reading them. In the past it would have just been old news, stuff I read about prior. Now everything can be a neat little surprise. But that’s where it ends.

“The News”. It’s a terrible show I should have gave up on a long time ago. Now I can focus on things that matter like reading the complete works of Cormac McCarthy, watching Twin Peaks for the first time, and building a homemade rod for ice fishing this February. Also there will be more time to just space out…