A Hovering Black Cloud
On Avoiding Atmospheric Signs
Since coming back almost a week ago from a month spent in Iceland, I’ve felt discombobulated. The news has been horrendous. Everything coming from any government source feels impossible to parse because we have been fed so many falsehoods over the past ten months. I look around me and see people worried about money, their health, the weather. I guess I feel the same way about all of that.
I go to sleep too late and wake up too early. My mind focuses on things that are completely out of my control. I fret and feel fuzzy-headed.
My last view of Hekla the volcano was taken at almost 11:00 am on the day I left. I’ve thought a lot about what it must mean to live in the shadow of an active volcano that can blow at any time with very little warning. I’ve considered the fact that everything else would be pushed to the back of your mind if you felt the rumbling of an imminent blow-out. Then I wonder what I would do. Would I stand in front of the big plate glass windows and watch as a massive cloud of ejecta billowed into the atmosphere?
Or would I pull my version of Madame Defarge and sit with my thread and sew on magazine pages.
Reentry after a month away from the states can be tough no matter when you do it. This time, however, felt particularly rough. I still feel like I’m living in the shadow of a volcano that could erupt with a massive explosion at any time.
We are all feeling that way. Focusing on small, everyday tasks and comforts is the best remedy for me.
That's cuz we are living under a volcano that is erupting. We're not waiting for it to happen. I follow Nancy's way to cope: doing small manageable tasks and things I like and need to do such as writing, seeing friends, reading, and walking. They also prevent me from reading the news or some other form of doom scrolling.
I really enjoyed your posts and pictures from Iceland. I hope you'll go back next year. I also hope you moved forward on several projects on your list during your recent stay.