Letterpress printed at my studio in Linton, on the Willamette River.

I am writing this in summer 2025, still fresh in the chaos that is a second Trump presidency. Medicaid is being threatened. People are being abducted by ICE. Gaza is being starved by Israel. And Trump and Musk are breaking up.

In the days after the inauguration, things were only beginning to feel wild. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of bonkers news. Feeling overwhelmed may mean we become paralyzed, unable to respond or act.

In February I also moved to a new apartment. I returned to a routine of a morning walk—no phone, no errands, no making plans. If I find myself obsessing about to-do lists or the news, I look up and observe the sky. I interrupt my own anxiety. I touch flowers. And, in my new neighborhood, I climb stairs that offer a view of Mt. St. Helens, and sometimes, Mt. Hood.

It is so hard to slow down when the forces around us want to speed up. We can only pay attention to so much, so this month I ask, what are you paying attention to?

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