Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com April 6, 2016 OPINION 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" BearCat CONTRIBUTING JOURNALIST Joanne Winer GUEST COLUMNIST Jedidiah Free 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 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" BearCat Everyone has their "bad days," of course. Some people may get stuck there for a while, while the rest of us pick ourselves up and chop wood-carry water. But when our friends or loved ones get stuck in a rut, just know that the moment will change and eventually people will move through the emotions that in- capacitate them. When we see people misbehaving on social media or the nightly news, we can get a little down about the state of the world. We shouldn't let the "few" unhuman things that people do, ruin the "ocean" of good that people have done or could do. If you're feeling a little jaded about where humanity is headed, here are some active ways to restore your faith. ~ Spend some time with kids. Just by spending time with youngsters can remind you to let yourself be- come more childlike, playful and creative. ~ Ask people to tell you about the happiest moments in their lives. Focusing on positive memories, can help you to see the lighter, brighter and happier side of the people in your life. ~ Focus on the good news stories. You can increase the positive news in your day by subscribing to on- line sources such as http://www. huffingtonpost.com/good-news or http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org. ~ Choose compassion. Seeking to understand why people behave as they do, you can empathize with them and learn tolerance. ~ Go take a walk! Get out of the house and do something. Major studies show that regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medica- tion at increasing energy levels. ~ Restore faith in yourself. Take care of yourself mentally, spiritually and physically. If you've had a hard life, stop being hard on yourself. Learn to be gentle with yourself as you are to your furry friends. ~ Get help when you need it. We are not here on earth in a vacuum. Sometimes we need support from caring professionals; sometimes we just need a time-out to recharge our internal batteries. Learn who to call when you need someone to talk to; See ad to the right >>>>>>>>>>> ~ Be Grateful. Enough said.... 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 "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." ~ Mahatma Gandhi DEADLINE : WED. APRIL 13 TH for the april 20 th edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com Need Someone to Talk to? Problems with Drugs? Alcohol? Depression? Mental Health? Suicidal Thoughts? Serving Quartzsite 24 hour Crisis Line 1-866-495-3735 Blood drive April 25 The GF Women's Club of Quartzsite is sponsoring a blood drive in April in Quartzsite. Please make an appointment to save a life! Call 1-877-827-4376 or visit Blood- hero.com or unitedbloodservices. org. There is always a need for blood and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, some- one needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime. Please note that if you have travelled in any of the Zika Virus countries: Mexico, South America, Central America or the Caribbean, or had sexual contact with some who has been there, within the last 28 days, you will not be able to donate blood until the FDA lifts the ban on this deferral. Because of the number of blood donors who have travelled to these countries, blood banks are suffer- ing a severe blood shortage. Your donation REALLY counts to pro- vide the much needed blood for patients. Monday, April 25 9:15am to 1:30pm Quartzsite Community Center 295 Chandler Ave All Donors will be entered into a random drawing for 2 concert tickets to see Miranda Lambert in Laughlin

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