I woke up one morning looking in the mirror, and the tired eyes of 48 years were looking back at me. Some distinct wrinkles around my mouth made me wonder, "What does my face do when I sleep?" well, it sure ain't smiling, that's for sure.

My slumber was deep that night, and the dreams that found me were whack. There were zombies. I HATE zombies.

Trying to interpret the chaos and adventure of my slumber, perhaps I could align it with my own challenge with the negativity afflicting our social communities. But unfortunately, someone opened the door to the idea that harassing and causing harm to others is somehow justified by an 'idea' of self-righteousness.

This has been on my mind lately. I had thought that taking a week away from ALL media would be what my body and mind needed, which it did. But a week wasn't enough, and honestly isn't possible if I want to ensure a positive future for my kids and those around me I know. Even those I don't know who all deserve lives to be nurtured and enjoyed.

I had a wake-up call at the beginning of the year. I woke up to another episode of a racing heart, which developed into discomfort and spontaneous vomiting. All were tell-tale signs of heart attacks brought to my attention by a friend. By the way, please share your struggles and wins with those you trust. Because of her, I reached out to my doctor, who also took the episode seriously.

After taking various tests, one of the results showed that my heart was physically okay. No deformities or blockages. Yay. So one less thing to be anxious about now.

So the challenge now is figuring out how to manage my frustration, stress, and anxiety in a world best described as a dumpster fire. I've had many friends reach out and share their own similar stories. The consistent hit of atrocities worldwide is putting some severe wear and tear on our minds that are intertwined with our physical bodies.

We struggle with 20-30% of the world led down a deep and dark rabbit hole of self-righteousness. But that means 70-80% of the majority are at risk of being dragged down into the fray. So how do you combat that?

I think some of us wish that the sane portion of government had the power to snap their fingers and magically correct the situation. Be able to make everyone happy in one fell swoop. But we also know that kind of power leads to dictatorship.

You can't please everyone. Ever. But regardless, we need leaders who try their best.

We need more leaders to lead by example.
We need more leaders who lead to serve.
We need more leaders who value human life over their own.
We need more leaders who put others' interests before their own.
We need more leaders with compassion.
We need more leaders who value and respect the intelligence of others.
We need more leaders who stand up for what's right for everyone's children instead of what looks like "what's right" now.
We need more leaders with the courage to admit what they don't know.
We need more leaders who give a shit.

This morning, I emerged from the latest on Twitter in the early hours, faced with a kitchen in disarray. Realizing that I couldn't snap my fingers and resolve the world's conflicts, I opted to roll up my sleeves and dig my kitchen out of its pile of dishes and cooking goo.

What can you do at this moment that you do have control over?

I have my own moments of frustration. Instead of letting them drag me down the naggie nellie hole, I choose to use it to push towards stepping up and using my own unique skills to address it from the bottom. I can toss in my own skipping rocks to the pool of serene ignorance and ripple positivity to change the reflections I'd rather see.