THE ENDLESS UKRAINE NIGHTMARE


I don’t often have nightmares, but they are disturbing and vivid when I do. The first part of my day yesterday was spent leading a meeting which was enjoyable for the most part, although the freezing drizzle triggered PTSD from last year's hip dislocation that landed me on ice.
My brilliantly witty friend, who also takes care of my hair, helped lighten the afternoon (and my hair) with deep discussions about everything necessary and frequent laugh-out-loud moments.
I haven’t watched TV news since the day after the November 2016 election. My base level of anxiety cannot handle the negative news slant of TV anchors and reporters. However, I understand the limited time to present the news. If they only reported positive stories, the information would never end. Instead, I read the NYT, CNN, Austin Statesman, NPR, etc. What I read about the Russian invasion left me with a cloud gathering over my head before the day started.
After an eventful day, I fell fast asleep and began dreaming of living in Ukraine and trying to flee Russian troops. We ran on foot and entered building after building with soldiers at our heels. People were screaming after being mowed down by bullets and dying in pools of blood. I tried to help others by dragging them along, but my efforts were useless, and they died. I had never been so frightened in my life. The few times I tried to wake up during the night were futile, as the horrific scenes kept repeating. I made myself awaken very early this morning because the disturbing dreams needed to end.
The nightmare is real for the people of Ukraine, and my day will be spent praying for them. I can’t help but imagine what it must have been like for the people of Iraq when WE invaded their country under false pretenses. The toll war takes on innocent people cannot be forgotten. As we see or read about planes shot down, buildings destroyed, and troops filling streets, we cannot ignore the people dying because a country wasn’t satisfied with what they already possessed. They wanted more, even if people died in their relentless pursuit of more territory, power, and money.
“I know not what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” (Albert Einstein)



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