Growing up as I did in New York, I've always been plugged-in. (It just happens there.) Still, I'd always heard that old saw claiming ignorance is bliss, and wondered how I might get dumb enough to experience bliss, which, defined as "perfect happines, great joy," sounds lovely.
Earlier this week I had a major health episode that felt like a heart attack but wasn't. It turned out to be a surge in my blood pressure to new heights, which then triggered a panic attack. It sucked. The whole thing was brought on by reading two articles in the newspaper that seriously bummed me out and ultimately caused anxiety. Before I read those articles I felt fine. Later, still looking for a New Year's resolution, reflecting on the dire experience made me reevaluate how I spend my time.
Knowing what's going on in the world outside of our small town in Maine serves no purpose. The global news is dismal, abysmal and glum, and since there are no cocktail parties here, or at least none that I plan to attend, I don't need to have facts at my fingertips to impress people. (In fact, nobody cares what I know.) Thus, in the interest of improved health in 2016 I have decided to stop ingesting news, be it through the written word or over the airwaves. Instead I will keep painting my paintings, writing my stories and focusing on the lives of people I actually know and affect.
we need some new paintings . . . I bet they will be different this year . . .
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