![\"giant-meteor\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Giant-Meteor-300x132.jpg\")
<\/a>As my brother so accurately rhymed last week, we are in a whole lotta trouble.\u00a0 And I’ve had to write this blog before the Presidential debate on Sunday night<\/strong>.\u00a0 God only knows what fresh hell that will bring.\u00a0 I’m not sure I can take\u00a0any more “news”.\u00a0 Admittedly I watch too many of the cable shows, switching from one to the other in hopes that I will gain some perspective.\u00a0 But all I’ve gotten in return is carpel<\/strong> tunnel syndrome\u00a0<\/strong>in my valiant, but fruitless, effort to find sanity.\u00a0 Over the weekend I decided I’d had enough and swore off following the election.\u00a0 The conundrum was, how do I\u00a0find ways to\u00a0occupy my time over the next four weeks?\u00a0 \u00a0I think I’ve stumbled on some solutions and since we here at “A Bird’s Eye View” always aim to be of public service, today I’m going to share my election avoidance strategies<\/strong>.\u00a0 So, in no particular order, here they are:<\/p>\nSports<\/span><\/strong> – I’ve always liked watching sports\u00a0and rooting for my favorite athletes and\u00a0home teams.\u00a0 This year I’ve especially appreciated the fact that within a few hours you know who the winner is\u00a0 <\/strong>and there’s no campaigning unless you count Colin Kaepernick<\/strong>.\u00a0 Which I don’t.\u00a0\u00a0Plus, let’s face it, it’s a great excuse to eat Doritos and guacamole.\u00a0 Luckily, we are in the sweet spot of the year for sports.\u00a0 A quick perusal of the TV listings\u00a0this week offered a cornucopia of athletic events on TV –\u00a0pro football, college football, hockey, golf, college volleyball, English “football”, pre-season basketball, the MLB playoffs, motorsports, soccer\u00a0and tennis.\u00a0 There is something for everyone<\/strong> on that list – assuming you are\u00a0a sports fan.\u00a0 If not, read on.<\/p>\n Organize<\/strong><\/span> – There have been many books out in the past year or so touting the soothing benefits<\/strong> of organizing your life, your home and your mind.\u00a0 Personally, I think it’s over-rated.\u00a0 But I decided to organize my closet in an attempt to avoid the news (and Facebook – don’t even get me started on that.\u00a0 Why do friends insist on re-posting<\/strong> political crap<\/strong>?\u00a0 Like we care.\u00a0 Or that it’s going to change our mind.\u00a0\u00a0I’d rather see the ubiquitous pictures of dinner plates\/expensive wine bottles\/Aunt Gertrude’s 80th birthday cake.)\u00a0It seems like socks are always in need of organizing.\u00a0 I think elves mess up my sock drawer every summer.\u00a0 I spent more time than I care to admit deciding whether to organize by color or length and whether to bundle or roll.\u00a0 Finally I gave up and went back to my Doritos.\u00a0 But again, it was a more soothing activity than listening to popularity numbers or, God forbid, “analysis” done by surrogates.<\/p>\n Food\/Home<\/strong> <\/span>– If indoor sports are more to your liking, turn on the Food Channel or HGTV<\/strong>.\u00a0 It’s amazing how comforting it is to listen to someone stress over whether the sofa should be orange or blue compared to watching endless analysis of debate prep.\u00a0 I get so invested in “Househunters”<\/strong> that I end up shouting at the prospective buyers.\u00a0 Why can’t they see that the three flights of stairs in Home #2 is going to be a pain in the butt when they’re lugging groceries?\u00a0 It’s almost as good as watching sports.\u00a0 The Food Channel also offers endless entertainment but is decidedly more fattening.\u00a0 I’m not a great cook but I get so inspired when watching the Barefoot Contessa<\/strong> that I think I can actually turn out a successful meal.\u00a0 Many failed attempts have been dumped in the garbage but that’s still better than looking at poll numbers.<\/p>\n So far those are the activities I’ve come up with to divert myself from the news.\u00a0 If you have developed other coping mechanisms please share.\u00a0 After all, there is only so much I can do with my sock drawer in the next four weeks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson As my brother so accurately rhymed last week, we are in a whole lotta trouble.\u00a0 And I’ve had to write this blog before the Presidential debate on Sunday night.\u00a0 God only knows what fresh hell that … read more![\"sock-drawer\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Sock-Drawer-300x237.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"kids-helping\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/kids-helping-300x265.jpg\")
<\/a>Find the Good News<\/strong> <\/span>– Yes, this IS possible.\u00a0\u00a0 While the media\u00a0focuses on the negative,\u00a0there are plenty of good things<\/strong> going on out there too.\u00a0 They’re just not as sensational so it’s harder to find them.\u00a0 One place I discovered dedicated solely to good news is http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/us\/good_news<\/a>.\u00a0 It’s full of stories about people doing all sorts of wonderful things to make our world a better place – helping the homeless, mentoring disadvantaged youth, rescuing animals or simply performing random acts of kindness.\u00a0 Reading the stories reminded me that we are not<\/em> the politicians<\/strong>.\u00a0 Or, more accurately, they are not us.\u00a0 Especially in an election year\u00a0the politicians try to put a wedge between us, but I think we all know that most people, regardless of political affiliation<\/strong>, are genuinely good, with honest intentions and a helping hand for someone in need.\u00a0 That’s who we are – our similarities far outweigh our differences.<\/p>\n