This week was nuts: in U.S. news, in Costa Rican news, and even in my house. A certain Very Big Girl went off to first grade with all the fanfare, nerves, and “Oh my God, Mom, no more PICTURES!” that such a milestone implies.

So at the end of it all, this is the facial expression I’m wearing. And you know what? That’s good. Our capacity to be shocked, horrified and disappointed by current events is something to be valued. It means we still expect something better. And what we expect, we tend to get – or so I heard somewhere.

Wear that gobsmacked facial expression with pride, cry into a cocktail over the state of our political lives if you want to, and maybe disconnect a bit this weekend. Or climb onto a tree branch and let loose with your best howler-monkey-inspired roar. We’re still alive. Still feeling something. When we don’t care and don’t even have the energy to throw our poop at each other anymore – that’s when we’re really in trouble.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter).