2/24/2023

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            How are you doing in the relationship department? Do you have some friends you trust?

            I ask because today’s NYT claims you have a “complicated” relationship with VCZ calling you an “odd couple,” a mature, experienced politician trying to keep his country out of war & a green, comedian trying to defeat a much stronger enemy. They say VCZ’s incessant requests for more weapons & ammo grates on you.

            I know how hard it is to keep saying no to reasonable requests. I have a new colleague who keeps asking me, as department chair, to cover conference expenses, to pay for her to take workshops & to fund Graduate Student Researchers. Unlike VCZ, she expresses ample gratitude every time she receives help, so I do what I can.

            As I think about healthy relationships, I am reminded that they start with having a healthy relationship with oneself. That requires self-understanding. I am working on this by paying close attention to the conditions that stimulate my most intense emotions. Rather than trying to chase them away, I am trying to be curious about them. I encourage you to do the same, especially when you find yourself getting mad at VCZ for his requests.

            Psychiatrist, CWT Miller suggests in today’s WP that we welcome these moments of intensity & reflect on what we can learn about ourselves by holding onto them, instead of throwing them away. He notes this can change our brain by activating our ventromedial prefrontal cortex & quieting our amygdala so we can think straight.

            Speaking of thinking straight, I am worried about the students in Burma who want to learn. According to Frontier Myanmar “With a mass boycott of public schools entering its 3rd year, the parallel government is scrambling to fine-tune alternatives to junta-run education, while lower-income families find it increasingly difficult to stay away.” Please see what you can do to ameliorate this situation.

            BYBS,