About Syl's Notes

My Habit of Writing Things Down

by Sylvia Clark Stauffer, Updated October 26, 2025

This is a website hosted by Ghost, an online platform. It is my latest attempt to use social media for writing things down. I am trying to close my open mouth and jaw dropping disbelief at what is going on in this country and instead put down some words. Not too many words. No need to explain too much.

You can subscribe to get an email now and then, if you want. I'm not taking any comments online, but would love to hear from anyone via email. No payments involved, ever.

I also have a Bluesky account, open to the public to view.

https://bsky.app/profile/north74.bsky.social

What is going on?

We have elected an authoritarian as president who apparently does what he wants when he wants. How we got here I'm still learning about. There are patterns to this current authoritarian takeover, and these patterns are being pointed out. Some saw this coming, others were surprised not just at what happened but at what happened so quickly in the first nine months of this second Trump administration.

I've been watching videos online that are horrifying, frightening, and downright disgusting. No need to repeat all that or to tell anyone what I've been seeing. You can see for yourself if you can stand to look.

I do not need to point out that we are approaching a full takeover by forces of evil in this country. But how to keep aware, to keep not looking away?

Don't look away. Witness the destruction of our democracy.

This not looking away is getting harder every day. As the brutality increases, people being tossed to the ground, shoved into vans, children torn from parents on sidewalks, all kinds of people are basically being kidnapped in plain sight.

So what can I do?

That's the question. The earth is burning and efforts at mitigating climate disaster seem to be futile. The emergency is clear, we are in it and may have already past the final tipping point for all efforts to save the earth as we know it. I don't know.

Millions are starving and under brutal regimes. Injustice reigns world wide. The rich are building walls around themselves, thinking they will be safe from the raging storms. Of course they will not. Certain politicians believe their obedience to a tyrant will assure their protection. Just wait. The country I assumed to be democratic with "liberty and justice for all" no longer seems to exist.

My background is white, mostly northern European. I've had lots of formal education, am retired, and have enough money to get along comfortably. I have family and friends. I live in a safe neighborhood in a progressive state. Fortunate is hardly the word. I am very lucky to have been born and raised as I was, to be able to live the life I have. I like to be outside as much as possible, work in the yard, walk by rivers, play with kids, do normal everyday things.

I take notes, write things down

I started out playing with words and writing lines that appeared to be what was called poetry so I went along that route. I went to college and read books, wrote papers, did this and that, made my mistakes, then worked for a living writing about how software works. In my fifties, I finally got out of the office and escaped to work outside as a gardener. I ran a business, raised a family, worked with children, then retired, all the while writing things down.

A Prescription

Below is the long and the short version of a prescription for how one might keep going, trying to be an honest person in 2025:

  1. Vote. Educate yourself on the issues.
  2. Live your life. Take care of yourself and those who depend on you.
  3. Do what you can to fight injustice when you encounter it.
  4. Find your people. Those you can work with for support, to join with in action, to laugh and to cry with.
  5. Get involved locally, with neighbors, where you live.
  6. Be kind, be friendly, welcome the stranger.

Now for the short version speaking in the first person:

  1. I vote.
  2. I live my life. I take care of myself and others.
  3. I do what I can.
  4. I am looking for and finding my people.
  5. I am friends with my neighbors.
  6. I try to welcome the stranger.

Its not rocket science. Or is it?

To comment or get in touch, just send email to northcreekpress@gmail.com

I'll be happy to reply.

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