Gandhi, We Are Grateful

The Sierra Club and Citizens Climate Lobby both had to toss out their executive directors this year for failure to manage their organizations appropriately during Trump's second term.  I'm very glad Rachel K's tenure at CCL was short.  But really, who can effectively guide organizations to make real progress on climate change in this environment.  Funding for NOAA, USAID, NPR,  Medicaid is being shunted to ICE so they can bring brown shirts wherever to do whatever.  A non violent revolution is needed. 

In this year's UTOPIA skit for my Bellevue chapter of CCL, I tried to depict CCL throwing over the US gov't but settled for us starting a chain reaction that led to a GENERAL TAX STRIKE, something that Quinn K seems to support. In my skit, we did it like Julia Butterfly Hill who said: I actually take the money that the IRS says goes to them and I give it to the places where our taxes should be going.  In her letter to the IRS, she said "I'm not refusing to pay my taxes. I'm actually paying them but I'm paying them where they belong because you refuse to do so."   

Anyway, I've had lots of time to think alone and the above is what happens.  Tonight, Eric and I watched "Gandhi" (Richard Attenborough, 1982, starring Ben Kingsley). At Nathan H's suggestion, I read Srdja Popovic's Blueprint for Revolution bringing Gandhi's methods to countries plagued by dictators.  For CCL book club, I just finished Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.  Even practicing a  Rheinberger piano quartet felt like a quiet steady drumbeat punctuated with purposeful outbursts. 

My conclusion is that I must take care of myself in order to help anyone else.  I don't have to sit on a cushion silently for hours but I need solitude, walks, bike rides, free time and conversations with people who inspire me like Sylvia P, Eric, my sisters, my daughters, and the CCL volunteers leading the "democracy action team" charge. I need more time to practice the violin and piano.  They're not just perpetually on my to do list.  They are me. I need unscheduled time.  Also, we "inter-are".  This language sounded dumb in Zen and the Art....but we do have more bacterial than human genetic material, we wouldn't survive without consuming water and plants and we are part of a river of warmth that started with our non human then human ancestors.  I feel all my grandparents (Sol too) and my parents inside me and whenever I wish I had loved them better, I can love myself better.  They are  me.  

I'm incredibly grateful for CCL.  I never dreamed I'd have the opportunity to truly partner with more adults and students than I can count to work on climate change.  I want to stay healthy and inspired and continue to go everywhere my friends and imagination lead me. 

I'll  know what life on Earth looks like after 2050 as I'll be part of Evan and Caroline.  I pray for mutual kindness between all living creatures and Mother Earth.   Gandhi showed us how. Let's act. 

 Eric and I are not ready to retire.  Everyone asks. But he's been meeting with India early in the morning and Singapore late at night and squeezing first his run and then his shower in between meeting. And yesterday, I was yawning sleepily during my first 2 patients and impatient when my last (of 10) patients was trying to nail down the exact order and timing for his complicated vaccines for a Sri Lanka vacation.  Scott Medley retired when he got sick of his patients.  Yesterday was a rare glimpse of that feeling. My office building is celebrating Maxine Bailey's 90's birthday soon. She's still massaging patients 5 days a week. I won't work til age 90 but I'm definitely not retiring soon. 

Summer is practically inseparable from Quinn.  They bike camp, won 2nd place in an Alley Cat Bike race, and have tons of friends, parties, weddings, book clubs, bike commuting...  He works for Seattle 4 long days per week.  She is still working for Coffee and Cycle but I haven't been hearing a lot  about her work lately. When she once again decides to pour some fraction of her energy and imagination into her career, she'll  be an exciting success.  Right now, she still hasn't fully recovered from EcoCollective's disastrous leadership.  Also, they aim to find  their first home together by the end of July. It's a project especially since they want to live with others as well. 

Trying to pry the video games away from Emily has taken a lot of emotional and mental energy.  I finally understand that encouraging her to rebuild the parts of her life that make life worth living is the only project that might one day succeed. Instead of ME trying to demolish the part of her life that covers up all its deficiencies, SHE is building a loving relationship with Jake, starting school after her successful pre requisite unmatriculated spring quarter, taking charge of meals including a low FODMAP diet which is helping Jake, and dealing with her lack of money with food stamps, medicaid, and selling Amazon stock which she found while searching for her retirement money which she might also have to use.  And I scored weekly scheduled phone calls with her:  Thursday nights at 9 pm which make me so happy. 

I skipped talking to Lauren for a couple of days engrossed in my second reading of "An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love."   Mallory (protagonist) prefers to let family conversations fade into background noise, she abhors talking on the phone and isn't big on talking in person. But the hard work of ripping up carpeting and the challenge of truly helping her grandfather build her self confidence and lead to an exciting new relationship.  I worked super hard on "Utopia Skit 2025" for my chapter and was rewarded by everyone laughing as we took 30 minutes during a meeting to read the whole thing. 

Eric is a dream husband.  He offered to buy me a massage chair for $5K and He stoically cleaned up a disastrous kitchen last night and complimented the meal even though the vegan alfredo sauce was possibly not worth all the work.  Judy and Sierra are in Ontario, heading to New Brunswick as Judy's taking concrete steps towards relocating her family's life.  Retirement seemed like such a natural plan for Solly and Mike in 2026 but my brave sister is running for city council again and winning her fight for truth, goodness, and responsibility. 

Should I buy yet another 5 minute journal to keep a positive mental routine every morning and night? Or just write whatever I wish?  Or not write at all?  I choose options 1 and 2.  

But who care about all of the above.  Today, I'm biking to Wallingford to play string quartets with Larry G, Laurie S and Christy J and then Summer, Eric, and I get to babysit Evan and Caroline for a long wedding: 3:30 til whenever.  Can't wait! 

I'll take 10 minutes to summarize 2018 to today before I turn on my flashlight and walk through the dark forest of our backyards to arrive at the Y just before 6 AM. 

I don't recommend it but if you'd like more detail, I can refer you to a 72 page google doc titled Emily Rescue. Summer found her passion fixing up and selling vintage bikes and directing, writing, and acting in movies.  She also found Quinn Price, a tall good looking, Cornellian who speaks French, loves to travel, makes his own wine and enjoys cohousing.  Lauren's Rachel Weiss' groupchat is officially released TODAY!  I started re reading it early this morning (to be in sync with the masses) forgetting that I can't help laughing and snorting during first few pages, possibly disturbing Eric's sleep. Lauren has a beautiful marriage to Dave and 2 delightful children: Caroline and Evan. 

Eric and I are happy at work.  I love my music friends and adventures and it's not true that I cry every day.  It's only some days. What is true:  Eric is getting upset with the crying.  

So: Emily's last day at norcom was 9/15/18. Luka died at the very beginning of the pandemic: Friday 3/13/20.  Summer and Lauren started visiting Emily's small apartment every Friday night.  Soon after, Summer and Michael Camp invited Emily to live with them in a lovely apartment Lauren found near her house. 

I visited Emily every Thursday to help her with cleaning, laundry, cooking.  I had never seen anyone so depressed.  She moved so slowly and could barely enjoy a TV show.  5/5/22 on the evening before her first Ketamine session and during the fleeting moment that she had a job at MFS billing,  I recommended she pee in a cup to make sure other drugs wouldn't interfere with the ketamine. A look of horror swept her face and words spilled out fast:  "I smoke weed every day.  And play video games every day." 

Emily quit pot on her own 12/9/22.  Positive communications assisted by Beyond Addiction book helped.  Mostly I credit Emily.  She did it.  Regular drug testing settled into weekly drug tests texted to me and Eric.  As far as we know, she's still clean today. She won our 2015 Subaru outback for this and deserved it 100%. 

In 2023, when she wasn't working and starting to run out of money, Greg, a Texan 19 yo gamer boyfriend paid Emily's rent and expenses for 6 months. Late Nov 2023, Emily agreed to surrender her mouse and video games x 3 months in exchange for us paying off her credit card.  

Beginning 1/2/24, she took  winter, spring and summer classes at N. Seattle College with stellar A+ performance at the start only slipping from 2 classes/quarter to 1 plus yoga and A- by last quarter. 

We paid her living expenses and tuition during school.  Gaming got worse but relationship with Emily was protected due to Love, Eric's good sense, and Beyond Addiction book helping me to reduce my harmful interactions with my precious girl.  

8/26/24, we stopped giving her any financial support.  She has enough money for Oct rent but not Nov. Current boyfriend, Jake,  has offered a plane ticket to Orange county but not rent.  Al Anon helps me along with my self help book.  

I'll try to cry less often.  Going to play pickleball now.  Then 2 morning CCL meetings, then work, then leading the Washington State Group Leader meeting tonight as Washington state co-coordinator. 

Zesty Story Telling

"You don't have to go," I kept telling myself.  You can shop, cook, finish office work... Summer picked up the phone. 

"I'm calling to tell you I can't attend but looking at my To Do list, I'm realizing I can push everything to tomorrow."

"I'm glad you'll be there, Mama.  Jenni is great.  You'll learn a lot. 

I inflated the tires of my red, white, and blue Fuji aloha and figured the pine needles and dirt would soon be blown off.  Wearing my warm  Uggs boots,  I biked up my cul de sac which sparkled with frost. I headed west, happy the sun was still in the south, and quickly reached the 520 bridge over Lake Washington.  As I neared the University of Washington, I saw hordes of black ducks all swimming north.  At the University, I joined bikers and pedestrians, some toting suitcases,  enjoying safe passage above the traffic on wide boulevards connecting the Burke Gilman Trail with Husky stadium and a light rail station.  The Burke Gilman trail carried me securely along the north end of Lake Washington showcasing Seattle's skyline and boats moored on top of more  boats.   Shortly after Gasworks Park, I recognized The Riveter, the cowork space where Summer wishes she still worked. 

A business like woman in a hurry joined me in the staircase:  Summer!  (Her Dad, also in a hurry, almost walked right past me last night when I headed to meet his bus stop- they have similarities! ).

Summer and I were both early to a workshop led by Jenni Gritters, a reporter who's worked for the NY Times and  publications I've never heard of like Upworthy and Experience.  Jenni works at the Riveter enjoying floor to ceiling windows overlooking Lake Washington and the Skyline and an unlimited supply of free chocolate morsels.  She aimed to help us with Click Bait type writing as well as long form.  Emotion, surprise, visuals, good headlines, and knowing your audience were discussed.

Jenni warned against writing about TOPICS.  You have to pick a story frame:  like moving a camera view over  your topic to frame a section that will attract attention.  This should be narrow. Like if I blog about my struggle to slow climate change, I could choose a list (7 reasons I won't quit) or one story that inspires my work, or a trends piece- 4 years ago if the words "climate change" spilled from the mouth of  R, they were yanked out of office.  Today 45 Republicans sit on the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. Brainstorm possible ideas .TOPICS are boring.  Must have characters (I'd love to know the story of George, the Alaskan fisherman, who represents Alaska at every Citizens Climate Lobby conference- in person or on the phone). Conflict is needed! CCL's  Fee and Dividend Bill was supposed to be introduced in March 2018.  It was not, then June was anticipated. After that, October.  Finally on Nov 27th it was introduced.  Yes-that sounds super boring. But you can be sure, major conflicts went on  to cause near introductions and then pulling the introduction.  Powerful forces oppose climate action. Moneyed, Manipulative, and Evil forces.  It is against these that the bill sputtered and delayed but finally was born. And history might reveal the sordid stories behind the delays in bill introduction .

Visuals are a must. Original photos or drawings, or maybe an infographic.

Find element of surprise. "It's a street fight for human attention."  You want to illicit a response:
Charge companies for mining coal, drilling for natural gas, or importing oil and then give all the proceeds to American families?  I need to tell my friends about that idea! It's smart!

Or 100,000 CCL volunteers lobby their legislators persistently and respectfully and they've accomplished WHAT? This gives me hope for humanity! 

OMG, I had no idea that 3 R's and 3 D's recently worked together to introduce the most powerful bill against climate change ever introduced in the USA just last week?!   Possibly the strongest anti climate change bill ever.

"Or civilization will be destroyed by business as usual" might make someone say "ugh that sucks...I want to do something about it. "

Another good response is "This is my life"  but I've just never vocalized it . To get this response, you have to be very very specific. Like Adam Smith wrote one or two pages all describing the characteristics of a prudent person.  "That's my husband! " I found myself yelling.  I had never been able to describe his personality with such accurate detail!

Jenni said to notice how you feel when you're writing?  ( I feel rushed because I have a telephone conference in 6 minutes about getting the word out to the media about our bill) .

Make your story SKIMMABLE by having bold sentences at each section that can tell a story in their own right for all the folks that won't read every word. You have about a minute. 

Ask yourself:  would I share this story? 

Brainstorm headlines.  "The United States could lead the world's climate change effort in 2019- no kidding"

Anyway, as you can see I have a long way to go to follow Jenni's advice .
But I bused to a meeting at Overlake where I won a wreath hand made by Debi Jefferson, an old friend,  and I'm safely home.
I'm too tired to see if the dirt and pine needles blew off my bike but my new wreath is hanging on our front door. 

Halfway to everywhere

Fourteen people - including a  green architect, a retired accountant, and an executive coach have agreed to join Citizens Climate Lobby Bellevue.  I feel like I should generate laser agenda and devise the speediest route toward achieving our dream:  a national price on carbon dioxide pollution! Unable to accomplish that today, I did talk to a potential member about her interests and barriers for about 30 minutes-- maybe that's an accomplishment in itself- following up and getting to know members so we can eventually (hopefully) form a cohesive effective team. I'm looking forward to meeting another potential member who writes about bicycle meditation-- a pastime I recently realized I engage in.


Regarding work:  prescription bounce backs, new prescription refill requests, prior authorizations, and bloated nonsensical reports are encroaching on the 2 half days a week that I'm not seeing patients.  (8 pages generated by EPIC holds about 2 sentences of useful information IF I'm LUCKY. I've seen 44 pages with nothing intelligible. )  I need to trim the hairy admin monster. So far, all I've come up with is to stop filing PT notes. WHAT ELSE can I do???  I KNOW!  Gradually phase in a policy in which I only write prescriptions at office or E visits.  I can have interim steps:  announce phases on website.  Phase one:  one month/no refills only.  Phase two: 15 days/no refills only. Phase 3: E visit or office visit for all prescriptions. YES!  I will do this.  I have every right to protect myself since I'm offering concierge service without concierge surcharge and prescriptions are by far my #1 problem.


Regarding friends-  Aruntati is currently my favorite yoga teacher.  "There are so many places we can go from this starting place!" she says after we're shakily balanced on one foot, grasping our big toe of the other foot, (bent knee better than bent back), and trying  to pull our foot in front and to the side.  She's leaving for the summer but I think we've convinced her to REALLY come back instead of abandoning us for the younger dance and yoga clientele at her studio.  Thank goodness! 


Intention, Timing, Effort, a Catalyst and Destiny are needed to make something happen in life according to Swati, Anita's beautiful sister from Westchester county who we met at Niki's graduation party last night.  Today, I was starving at 11:30 AM (catalyst).  I didn't have any 11:30 or noon patients! (Destiny?) I intend to spend every minute possible with Summer.  I knocked on her bedroom door right when she woke up. I made pancakes from the chia seed/rice flour/whatever other starch Eric found in the pantry batter that Eric left me on the kitchen counter.  Summer whisked up eggs scrambled with precious cheese and salsa.  We added decaf hazelnut coffee from the French press and some homemade syrup (don't ask me how Eric made that).  Settled in partial sun on the deck, calories spread all over the flowered table cloth, Summer told me how Carl wishes she was with him in Italy.  I got to see photos of him smiling with random bridesmaids and lines of other young men.  He has a huge smile and apparently drinks 24 ounces of coffee whenever he can get it.


Good violin lesson today even thought I had to admit I had not practiced once.  Better job next week I hope. Nicole Bloam is a good teacher.


Well, I was sitting in the sun when I started this post but now, even the disappearing clear spots in the sky have resigned into gray.  The sun wants to stay out til 10 PM but the clouds soften all that blurring the border between day and dusk. Halfway feels comfortable some days.

I had a dream

My mother (the best realtor in the world) was showing us houses.  "How much is that one?" I asked about the largest and newest house.
 "$4000," she answered.
"You mean $400,000," I muttered-real estate smarts being in my blood and all.
"No, I mean $4000.  That house has no water."


That is a great example of a dream, I don't want to come true.


I visited my friend Christina Bletzinger Cooper in Melbourne, Australia in approximately 1993.  All the water in her house came from rainwater collected in a cistern. Can we do that here? Absolutely!  But someone doesn't want us to.


I would love to be one of the people that radically changes our country for the better. But one of my goals for the last 2 weeks was simply to review my last year of utility bills.  Unlike the process for collecting rainwater, transfer of my money to the utilities is so smooth that it's difficult to find a trace. Puget Sound Energy is  busy trying to take over an old railway bed to generate more power so they don't have time to answer the phone or emails or update their website so average customers can review their bills.




But that's OK!  That will make it even more fun when customers realize that they themselves can generate and profit from power.  The May 4th New York Times describes New Yorks's State Energy Plan: Con Edison has been selling it's power generators to small independent producers since the 90's. Soon, they won't generate power at all. Their new role will be  running the grid and making sure energy is distributed fairly.   This is one reason why Timothy Egan can concede Congress to the Koch brothers' "cohort of people flopping around in the waters of stupidity" and still be optimistic.  As soon as I  can generate, control and profit from power production, I will never go back to paying Puget Sound Energy an average of $225 per month (it took me 2 minutes to find it on my bank website),  nearly $400 in colder months, and then beg them to show me the records.


Then there's water:  our most valuable resource.  Even here in the rainiest corner of our country, our water is centrally supplied and should not be taken for granted.


Citizen's Climate Lobby started with 3 local groups in 2007 (San Diego, San Francisco and Anne Engstrom's group in Seattle) and the number of groups has doubled each year.  Including my new Bellevue group, we should have about 300 groups in 2014.   Our purpose is to "create a political will for a stable climate and to
"empower individuals to have breakthroughs in exercising their personal and political power."
I'd like to help each person in my group meet with a lawmaker and write a letter to the editor. I'd also like to join toastmasters to improve my speaking skills.


Here's  a  dream I do want to come true (from CCL's website): "Cool the planet with your voice."

Make sure your Christmas bonus is bigger than your bail

When my swim coach told me that Julia played cello, I thought it was too good to be true.  I dreamed of finding chamber musicians to play with.  There couldn't be one sharing my swim lane!  "Do you know the Brahms cello sonatas?" I asked her while we were getting dressed. The beautiful melody that opens Brahms'  E minor cello sonata magically flowed right out of her mouth.  "Come to my house tomorrow night after work,"  I told her.  Lucky for me, she agreed. 

Today, I swam in the 5 AM class instead of our usual 6 AM. When Julia asked why, I admitted that I had insomnia due to a worry about my middle daughter.  "Oh, I see," she answered.  "Last time you were super worried, it turned out to be a problem fit for a radio segment."

Sure, she had a point. While Julia was enjoying dinner with me and Eric, we became increasingly worried about Summer's absence. Sadly, I really worry with passion.  Turns out, Summer was attending a diner for students accepted at Princeton and her cell phone was off.  OK, so that wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been but this...

When my sister was in a relationship with Greg and I suggested she date other guys just to make sure he was the right one, she showed anger- the only anger I've ever witnessed from her. "I will never talk to you about my social life again!"  From that I've learned, any influence from family must be given early.

Emily chose the first apartment she saw both  before college and after college.  She did the same with her job.  "Shouldn't you fill out some other applications just in case this job doesn't work out?"  She did not.  She went through the 6 month application process to become a 911 dispatcher and with her brains, hard work, typing skills and excellent memory, she got the job.   All of that worked out wonderfully and she continues to thrive in this very important work.  However,  I am unable to embrace this selection process for guys.

"Have you ever been married?" I asked Julia in the hot tub last week.  I knew she had an MD, a PhD, she had lived in the deep south,  she has a family heirloom grand piano, a formidable music collection, and a sister anyone would admire but  I had never asked her this.

Call me manipulative. Tell me I'm the mother my daughter will never recover from.  But I can't help it. I spelled out my wishes, threatening to curtail my 4 day a week dog watching services if they're not met.  ( I love watching Fancy and Tobe too- Havanese/Daschund and Schitzu- best dogs since my old standard poodle).   Join 1-2 orchestras, even though you'll miss some practices/concerts due to work.  Take your last 5 credits of college in person (with on-line option for days you'll miss). Go out to dinner with 10 guys before you go steady with anyone. Let us know if you'd like a gym membership for Chanukah.

I told her she thinks it's normal and even annoying that guys are always falling all over her.  If she is true to herself, this "problem" will last her entire life.  (She knows that her grandmother Iris has guys falling all over her.) However, the quality of the guys will change with time.

Julia's never been married.  I asked her why.  "The guys I dated didn't like music.  They didn't respect my Catholicism."  She was true to herself.   When I leave the locker room, Julia offers advice like "Make sure your Christmas bonus is bigger than your bail."   Today her advice was re-read David Copperfield and keep a journal.

I don't know if Julia is happy with all her past choices but as her friend, I'm happy she is exactly who she is today.