Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com July 20, 2022 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 NOW PUBLISHED ONCE/MONTH on the 3rd Wednesday of each month OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Jackie Deal CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.DesertMessengerOnline.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2021-22 © 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 QUARTZSITE ROCKS! 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 Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published.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 Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 Stay up to date with Town Hall Town of Quartzsite now offers text notifi cations on your phone through TextMyGov. iWorQ is excited to an- nounce a strategic partnership with @TextMyGov to expand citizen en- gagement with text messaging To opt in, text the word "QUARTZSITE" to 91896. What to expect: After the initial keyword is sent, you'll receive a confi rmation message asking you to reply "YES" to verify opt-in. There will be 0-4 text messages per month with a notifi cation from the Town regarding the categories you are opted-in for. Message and data rates may apply. Check with your mo- bile phone carrieer for more details. How to Opt-Out: Text "STOP" at any time to remove yourself from the notifi caiton list. Also are you looking for an- swers? Need to report an issue? Now you can Text the Town of Quartzsite directly. Introducing the new way to skip a phone call and use your mobile phone's text messaging to fi nd answers to your questions. Text "hi" or one the words listed be- low, to 928-260-4442. "Trees, Sewer, Contact, Street, Wa- ter, Pothole, Weeds, Departments, FAQ." TextMyGov will help you to quick- ly fi nd the answers your looking for or help you to report an issue to the Town. DEADLINE : WED. A UGUST 4 TH for AUGUST 17 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com and caring society. And it's fl ippin' exhausting! There is this thing called "compassion fatigue" and it is a grow- ing problem in this plugged-in, con- nected, 24-hour-a-day access world of ours. Compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, re- silience, and survival. However, with the news of the world always at our fi ngertips, it shouldn't be surprising that Americans are growing fatigued by a constant stream of bad news. Compassion fatigue used to be something that was only discussed in reference to therapists, caregiv- ers, and aid workers. Now, it's some- thing that all of us are subject to. According to a 2018 poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 68% said they are overwhelmed by the volume of information coming at them day and night. So what do we do? We must commit to taking care of our- selves, spiritually, mentally, emotion- ally and physically. You can't pour from an empty cup, so prioritize self-care early and of- ten when faced with stress. Set good boundaries. Try setting a designated time to catch up on the issues that cause you stress, and turn off push notifi cations in the meantime. Set small, incremental, meaningful goals. Nothing motivates like success. When you feel like you're making progress, it is easier to stay engaged. We must also take time to recognize when our actions or words may cause others harm. And no, it's not about being "politically correct." Remember what your mama taught you? Treat each other as you want to be treated. Isn't it an oxymoron that all religions teach the practice of loving kindness, yet we use our differences in religion to justify being unkind to one another? Perhaps it's time to make kindness a conscious choice rather than a random act. As the Dalai Lama said, "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." "The expectation that we can be immersed in suffering and loss daily and not be touched by it is as unrealistic as expecting to be able to walk through water without getting wet." Dr. Naomi Rachel Remen M.D., Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF School of Medicine Where is our Compassion? Have you noticed how many social media posts and even a local tabloid have turned into us vs them? It can very subtle... sometimes. I feel that we are losing our compassion for each other! We're seeing so much name- calling and demeaning of others who look/believe/act/love different than us; some even blame politicians for earthquakes or the homelessness in large cities, while others become numb to the suffering of victims of mass shootings. We've begun to call each other names, such as "haters" and "whimps" just like the bully on the playground. It's like some toxic nerve gas has taken over who we are, as a compassionate

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