Dear President Trump, I know you’ve got your hands full (of remotes) keeping tabs on the world, but if you can tear yourself away from F & F you should look at some pictures of Seattle – we got 10.6” of snow overnight and it’s really beautiful here. We’re supposed to get down to 16 … Continue reading Changing conditions
Coping and Self-care
Growing pains
Dear President Trump, It’s something we teach our patients all the time and it’s been useful to me countless times before, but last night it felt like something of a revelation once I put words to exactly what was bothering me. I told you yesterday that I was feeling sour and frustrated despite the lovely … Continue reading Growing pains
Two (very different) things this morning
Dear President Trump, Two things this morning; one related to the ongoing menace of you and the other to salvation of a sort. Because I prefer to get unpleasant chores done first, I’ll start out with you. I know you plan to “speak to the American people” tonight to make your case for the wall … Continue reading Two (very different) things this morning
Another December day
Dear President Trump, The sad, scary, enraging stuff I wrote to you about yesterday hasn’t gone away and isn’t going away anytime soon; kids are still contemplating suicide today and young adults are still concluding that it doesn’t make sense to have children. Nothing has substantively changed – you’re still lurching from one manufactured crisis … Continue reading Another December day
Three positive bits
Dear President Trump, I’m not sure whether it’s the time of the year (December is a tough month for crappy trauma anniversaries) or because I’ve not been sleeping well (which could be related to the first possibility), but I had another close-to-tears episode today. It was the end of a long day and my boss … Continue reading Three positive bits
My best self took a vacation
Dear President Trump, Yesterday I had an experience with cars and drivers flouting rules that had me nearly in tears before I even got to the freeway entrance. I’m not sure whether I’ve explained the beginning of my commute to you, but I live four blocks from a small freeway entrance and in the olden … Continue reading My best self took a vacation
Peace and quiet
Dear President Trump, This morning we encountered an unexpected traffic snarl when we took my brother’s birthday card to the post office. The plan was to mail it there so it will get to him by Tuesday (hopefully) and then walk the dogs in that neighborhood to mix things up. We didn’t realize that the … Continue reading Peace and quiet
Tarana Burke is bending the moral arc towards justice
Dear President Trump, I just watched Tarana Burke’s TED talk. Ms. Burke started the Me Too movement 10 years ago and she offered a sobering analysis of where the movement is now and how incredibly far it is from its original intent, which was to foster empathy between survivors. She described being numb and exhausted, … Continue reading Tarana Burke is bending the moral arc towards justice
Standing in the gap (3)
Dear President Trump, Both the caring letters suicide intervention and the program to curb cycles of violence for young black men profiled in the HP remind me of something Mother Teresa’s said: “The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis but rather the feeling of not belonging.” There are probably just about as many … Continue reading Standing in the gap (3)
Standing in the gap (2)
Dear President Trump, The second HP piece in what I’m calling their “standing in the gap” series, is about a program developed by Dr. Joseph Richardson Jr., at the University of Maryland. It’s designed for young black men who’ve been hospitalized two or more times because of gunshot or stabbing wounds. The idea is to … Continue reading Standing in the gap (2)
Daily Trump Letters 