To get a view of Cartagena, go up to Castillo de San Felipe (pictured here) or Covento de la Popa. You can see the modern condos of Bocagrande, with the old city in the foreground. •• I know it’s MLK day, but I’m not sure what to say about it. Putting up some inspirational quote and moving on doesn’t feel very real for me, because I’m not in a very positive or hopeful place today. •• I’ve felt very drained lately. Tired of hearing and calling out racism and sexism from other people. Not talking at all about the video going around, since yes that seemed to have a wider, less malicious context, but tired of hearing these viewpoints in person. From people who in public purport that they have some other reasoning for their positions, but feel very comfortable being completely racist in private when no POC are around. I am tired of hearing the public excuses, which I know are lies, because I hear the real prejudice under the excuses. Because I’m white and for some reason people think that makes me their safe space, even if they’re relative strangers, to talk about how POC are ruining this country, or not to be trusted, or whatever the problem of the day is for them. And calling it out doesn’t seem to stop it. So I distance myself as much as I can, but it still pops up. •• For the first time in my life, I feel tired and demoralized following news and politics, from both sides of the aisle, even as I know it’s important because all this determines the future we will have. And yet it seems success in politics, for anyone, has been reduced down to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and huge oversimplification and dumbing down of complex issues. And we all get sucked into it - I know I am occasionally guilty as well. •• I guess my point is, if I feel so tired and demoralized, I can’t even imagine how tired and drained POC must feel having to put up with so much of this crap, in a much more direct and hurtful way, forever. I am sorry. So I guess here’s my most hopeful message for today: let’s do our best to eradicate this nonsense so the next generation, or maybe the generation five generations from now, doesn’t have to be so tired. . . . .