Transcend. Descend. Escape._026

Item

A handwritten journal entry dated January 28, 2021, discussing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflections on societal challenges.

Title: Transcend. Descend. Escape._026
Alternative Title: Transcend. Descend. Escape.
Creator: Karen Blessen
Date: 2020-2021
Description: The image shows an open journal with handwritten entries. The left page is dated "January 28, 2021," and the right page contains a list of thoughts and reflections. The journal appears to be bound with a rough, textured material, possibly fabric or paper, and has a yellow sticky note attached to the right page. The handwriting is neat and legible, with some bullet points and underlined text for emphasis.
Identifier: 001_120220-022421_trascend_descend_escape_2
Dates Completed: December 2, 2020 - February 24, 2021
Keywords: Alchemy; Handmade journal; Terri Lenoir; Paper Arts; Covid-19 deaths; Trump lies; Illness of loved ones; Aging pets; Transcendence; Depression; Escape; Great Peacemakers Lesson; 69th birthday; Kelly’s card; 29 Pieces messaging; Love Knows No Distance; Quiet holiday; Kabir poems; Shakespeare bio; Jan. 6 insurrection; MLK essay; DMN 2003; SNL cold open; Lead to gold collage; American LOVE Project; Poppy Sundeen; THRIVE messaging; Valentine’s messaging; Super Power of love; Arctic freeze; Texas power outage; Randy Twaddle; Freeze photos; Lea Marshall; Tree of life; Calamities and trials; 10 years of journals; 2021 memes; $125K gift; Hudson Foundation; Weaving Your Name
Transcription: Left Page:
Tom - January 28, 2021
Words escape me - well they don't come. To describe the strangeness, the adjustments, the horrors of this hour.
- Closing in on 500,000 Americans dead from Covid-19. 2.16 million worldwide.
- Vaccinations happening (not for Kelly or me yet)
- New - more lethal, more transmissible variants of the virus decimate South African + Brazilian hospitals.
- The world is in crisis - Covid-19, the environment, animals. We must

Right Page:
rise above selfishness and self-interest.
It is not a time for division or megaphoning against borders. Yet that's what we do and it's not good or meaningful.
Here we have an alien invader decimating humanity - a virus and we find a million little arguments about how to fight it/deal with it/figure it out/rationalize it. Self-insanity.
People who work hard to offer solutions are believed by some, scorned by some.
My mind goes to Joni Mitchell song "A good day and some think on it"
Rights: To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
Is Part Of: Transcend. Descend. Escape
Relation: Image Gallery