I have spent the last month licking my wounds, steering clear of having to listen to Donald Trump’s voice, reading only headlines in the NYTimes and Washington Post about what he’s doing to populate the American government and malign our democracy, and listening to a few well-chosen podcasts that focus on what went wrong for the Democratic Party in the election and what we who are supporters must do going forward towards the mid-terms. I have avoided watching the news on Cable TV (CNN and MSNBC) for my sanity’s sake.

On my early morning walks, I listen for a while to the podcasts noted above (e.g. Pod Save America, the War Room with Al Hunt and James Carville, Hacks-on-Tap, and The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller) until I’ve had enough. I also listen to podcasts out of Israel (e.g. The Times of Israel Daily Briefing, The Promised Podcast, and Haaretz Weekly), and then I listen to classical music mostly. I also walk quietly, watch the squirrels and birds and listen to their songs, and commune with the coyotes who seem to have grown more numerous in our neighborhood in Sherman Oaks. I mostly just try and “be” or I spend time “thinking” about God knows what? (family mostly and ideas I’m mulling around).

And I photograph some of the extraordinarily beautiful images of first light as I see it is emerging into day above me. I’m attaching below a few of those images.

I find myself signing off emails these days since the election saying simply “Stay safe and sane!” and I wish that for all of you.