Routine Varigrade PTSD and Community Resilience

I realized yesterday while driving back from Quincy that everyone around here has PTSD to some degree or other. Frequent round trips through a watershed and forest distorted by the disaster that is catastrophic wildfire repeatedly reminds me of the now constant pressure brought upon us by our disregard for the environment.We feel chronically uptight, nervous, jumpy, not of our clearest minds, while everyone also tries to do our best in whatever ways of which we are capable.For those who for years have been aware of our severe disruption of climate, pandemic plus several consecutive years of increasingly disastrous wildfires makes for a double whammy.This realization is no cure but it helps manage stress via helpful comprehension.Another side of our collective experience is the resilient spirit among so many members of our community, committing to rebuilding, with one eye on the forest, keeping watch for wildfire starts, even in the heart of north American winter.Time have changed, and will continue to change, and we are doing our best to change, too.