Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com September 5, 2018 LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be pub- lished. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Mail letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 P�������� ����� � ����� 1st & 3rd Wednesday Sept. thru May with Special Summer Editions June, July & August EDITOR/PUBLISHER Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Joanne Winer GUEST COLUMNIST Gypsy Jane Finley CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE LETTERING Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.MyQuartzsite.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2018 © Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear Editorial Neighborhood Watch to meet Thurs. SEPT. 6 Town of Quartzsite invites every- one to attend the next meeting of Neighborhood Watch at 6:00 PM, on THURSDAY, SEPT. 6th, 2018, at the Quartzsite Com- munity Center. Chief William Ponce said he looks forward to working with the resi- dents to create a safer community. Launched in 1972, Neighbor- hood Watch counts on citizens to organize themselves and work with law enforcement to keep a trained eye and ear on their communities, while demonstrating their pres- ence at all times of day and night. Sponsored by the National Sher- iffs' Association (NSA), the Nation- al Crime Prevention Council says, "Neighborhood watch is one of the oldest and most effective crime prevention programs in the coun- try, bringing citizens together with law enforcement to deter crime and make communities safer." For more information contact the Quartzsite Police Department at 928-927-4644. DEADLINE : WED. SEPT. 12 TH for the sept. 19 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com The funeral of John McCain held at the National Cathedral was an emotional one for many watch- ing from afar. Funerals are for the living of course, and people tend to share their positive memories, while leaving the unpleasant ones unspoken or make light of them. I've seen a fl ood of negative and angry comments regarding Sena- tor McCain and other hot-button topics on my social media threads, that it made me wonder what the heck are we all doing. I'm reminded of the 12 Step Pro- gram which uses the phrase, "Take what you like, and leave the rest." Sounds what most people do at funerals, too. Recovery does not come in a one-size-fi ts-all package, nor does life. But when we focus on what we don't like or what's not working in our lives, we become al- most addicted to that type of think- ing. It turns out that pain and neg- ative emotions (anger, self-pity, etc.) also activate the beta-endor- phin and dopamine, just like the those addictive drugs do. Most recovering addicts who suc- ceed and avoid relapse, come to understand that their familiar way of doing things is not working any- more. Maybe it's time for some self refl ection on how we communicate with each other, especially on so- cial media. Did you know that when negative thinking occurs over a long period of time, it can degrade our health in body, mind, and spirit? What if we actually did "take what we like, and leave the rest?" What if we just focused on the positive and left aside all those negative comments on social media? Changing our be- haviors, our language, our thoughts takes some effort, but it's well worth it. Maybe it's time to take a vacation from those negative triggers...think of it just like a detox for addicts. Once we recognize our additions, take a break, and begin the healing process, we are just beginning-Just like an addict. How often did Sena- tor McCain state he was an imper- fect man? We can forgive ourselves when we mess up, too. Just keep moving forward, take care of our- selves and focus on what we want, rather than what we hate. Be on the lookout for those triggers of power and ego in the process, too. These can sneak up on us, just as an addict can become complacent in their re- covery, when not paying attention. Be mindful of your thoughts and feelings when triggered by any dra- ma, including social media posts. Moving out of negative thinking is a process that takes time. If you are a negative thinker, you have been practicing this form of thinking for a long time. It's not going to stop in a day or two. Just like an alcoholic who has been drinking for years, true sobriety does not happen over- night. Be gentle with yourself and take it one day at a time! "The world is full of a lot of fear and a lot of negativity, and a lot of judgment. I just think people need to start shifting into joy and happiness. As corny as it sounds, we need to make a shift." ~Ellen DeGeneres

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