
Iāve lived in California for more than half my life. Natural disasters are part and parcel of living here. Mother Nature provides us with good weather, but the price can be far too high to bear.
When I wrote yesterday morningās newsletter, the sky outside my studio window looked like Mars, glowing orange with soot and ash from the fires ravaging across Southern California.
I didnāt write about it because I was in denial. The show must go on, right?
But I spent most of yesterday and last night doing something I rarely do: watching the ānews.ā I saw entire neighborhoods I once loved burned to the ground and leveled.
This morning, after a very sleepless night, Iāve moved from denial into rotating between three other stages of grief: anger, bargaining, and depression.
Iām angry at the media and politicians for turning tragedy into an opportunity.
Iām bargaining with a God I donāt always believe exists to end this destruction.
Iām depressed because I canāt do more to help those who have already lost so much.
The good news is that my loved ones and I are safeāfor now. The winds are calmāfor now. But I know better than to take any of this for granted. Calm winds and safety can changeā¦quickly.
Itās hard not to feel helpless in a world so big and so broken. But I know despair doesnāt help anyoneānot me, not you, not the people whoāve lost everything, and not the firefighters risking their lives to save whatās left.
So, Iāll focus on what I can do:
Donate to organizations that make a real difference.
Spotlight resources for evacuees and first responders.
Continue checking in with friends and family in the fire zones.
And keep going, even when it feels too small to make a difference.
If you are able and would like to help, here are a few reliable sources to start:
Hereās How To Help SoCal Wildfire Victims (Los Angeles Daily News)
Wherever you are, please be safe and hold your nears, dears, and queers close.
Thanks for readingā¦
Clint
P.S. Amid this devastation, former POTUS Jimmy Carter is being laid to rest today. Heās the best former president I can think ofāa man of quiet dignity and service.
P.P.S. Whatās former-and-future POtuS Donald Trump doing? Besides sharing a joke with Obamaāwho was unlucky enough to be seated next to him? Typical dick-tater shit like trying to buy or invade Greenland, rename the Gulf of Mexico, and threatening to take control of the Panama Canal. Just another so-real-itās-surreal day in āMurica. Bless this mess.
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Sorry I haven't had time to keep up till now Clint. I had forgotten you are in Southern California. I lived in Venice beach, North Hollywood, Laurel Canyon, Malibu, and on and on for the first 45 years of my life. I was born 9 miles south of city hall in Huntington Park. Have had dear friends who've had to evacuate but so far none have lost homes. I'll try to get through the rest of your posts to date, tonight. I do enjoy your work so very much. Hope all is well with you. Again, Thanks for all your hard work. a.
Thinking about you and other friends I have there, I find that words fail to address the incomprehensible suffering and destruction of resources. It is good to know you and your domicile are safe for now.