It’s possible that we may get a little more rain, however that is very rare here in May. So as we wrap up Earth month in April, I thought it would be good to ask… what will you do with your trash? I know I have a lot of work to do on that front. Most of us do. The days of exporting the trash in the U.S., to unsuspecting countries is waning, especially as we break ties with long time allies. The focus is becoming more home based, with food composting products and various city rules for businesses. Don’t get me wrong, Capitalism will still make a pretty buck and we still have truck loads of toxic debris being hauled from wealthy areas and dumped into more “out of site” areas. Yet the awareness of health conditions that are directly tied to toxic environmental causes… is hard to stuff back in the bag, once it’s been dumped out of the table.

I’m making sure my self care appointments stay in the schedule and I am celebrating having completed all of my health checkups for 2025. Steady as she goes… with a lot more movement required. Easy enough. Now to execute the plan. My best purchase this year was an air purifier. I have not had a rash reaction after the horrific fires in January, as I did after the Woolsey fire. So I am very happy about that. I have several food allergies and I notice that as I eat more plant based and unprocessed, those food allergies are becoming less problematic. Eating lighter also helps me feel less weighed down and in need of a nap. We all need to be more self protective and mindful of our health as A.I., takes over and there are fewer highly skilled health professionals in the mix. Every time I mention a health challenge I am facing, most people say, “there’s a pill for that”. Yes, there are pills for everything. Being on a lot of them is not my future health goal… if I have any control over it.

Today, I was out doing errands after the normal lunch time and I noticed that there is very little “actual food” in our general area. Healthy food is very hard to find unless you do a sit down restaurant, fairly large meal – or are making food at home – a lunch under $25 that is not fast food? Good luck with that. I was lucky enough to find a place wedged between a Baskin Robbins and a Waffle & Coffee shop called SunBerry Aćai Bowls. There is a Jamba Juice nearby to give them competition however, most Jamba’s have a LOT of sugar in them. Overall, there is a general lack of education, in current day America, about nutrition and “what’s flax seed good for?” “What’s farro?”, etc. Heaven forbid you should mention a “super food”. That really sets people off, which I find amusing. Most people who hear of someone eating vegetarian respond, “But how do you get your protein?” Very few people (even in this era of googling everything) realize how many basic foods have some protein in them. It’s not just meat and dairy. So fiber is the real item you have to worry about, at any age, to keep your system flowing smoothly, not protein. If enough people ate plant based, you could virtually eliminate the laxative business. And I’m not talking about “substitute meat” here. I’m talking about whole ingredients in many wonderful combinations.

So with the current tariff’s causing mayhem and my investments taking a pounding, my focus for the rest of 2025 is supporting independent businesses, finding healthy foods while getting more core exercises in and working on environmental supports. That requires slowing down and being more intentional in daily choices instead of rushing around and just catching something on the run. My art will most definitely be shifting to a more “comment on the state of things” vein than it has been in the past. An admiration for nature and trying to capture beauty has been my past focus.

Streamlining my digital footprint is also on the list. Having reduced the number of social media applications I am on was the start. Now I’m thinking paying to have everything in the cloud is not sustainable for the way the future economy is looking. So that will also be a focus.

What goal do you have for the rest of 2025? How are you holding up after the changes of the first four months? And how do you intend to spend the next eight months?