call me i.b.

*you are able to identify it is not a threat to you or your family/pets ie. It’s not a black widow for example

It's time to know theirs:

Boris and Sofia Gurman - Russian Jews. The first people who attempted to disarm one of the shooters. They died protecting people.

Reuven Morrison - a 60 year old Jewish man who hurled a brick at one of the shooters to distract him. He was shot and killed.

Edith Brutman - vice president of an anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination committee at B’nai B’rith NSW.

Marika Pogany - an 82 year old Jewish volunteer who assisted Jewish seniors.

10 year old Matilda. A Jewish girl who was shot and killed while playing at the petting zoo.

Dan Elkayam - a French Jew living in Australia who loved soccer.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger - father of five, who promoted dancing with joy to combat antisemitism.

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan - shot while handing out tefillin.

Peter Meagher - retired police officer who was taking photos at the events. Photography was his retirement passion.

Alex Kleytman - a Holocaust survivor who died protecting his wife.

Tibor Weitzen - a Russian Jew known as the "lolli man". He would give confectionery to the children of his shul.

An unidentified 40-year-old man was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Sunday but died at the hospital.

he’s busy saturday

Lay in grass for 5+ minutes just existing

Look for cool rock/stick to hold for a little bit

Look for shapes in clouds

Kick leaves on sidewalks in autumn

Blow dandelion fluff in summer

Close eyes and listen to birds/nature/weather (recordings are fine)

Drink from a running tap with your hands

If you have a little more time, some more complex activities for your monkey brain:

Get a bag of peanuts and peel them open with your fingers. If you don't eat peanuts/are allergic, try a different nut. If you're allergic to all nuts, get green beans or snap peas and crack them all open to eat the insides first. Sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds will work as well.

Put some treats in capsules (cheap Easter eggs with great) and hide them around your dwelling. Candy/snacks are fine but stickers or other small rewards work too. Foraging brain will like this. Bonus if you can exchange hiding with a friend.

Go on a walk/ride to a new place. Novelty is essential for mental health. If you're not sure where to go, literally just pull up Google maps or something, zoom in on your location or nearby, and look for a shop you've never been to, then go explore it. My partner just took me to a thrift shop I'd never been to, and my brain will be picking over that new memory for days.

Once in a while, find a restaurant you've never been to and go get something in person even if it's just picking up a dessert. Try to order something you haven't before, or haven't in a while. You might hate it, but that will be an enrichment, too.

Go to where a social event is happening/where other people are. You do not have to participate, personally, but regularly going to where there are humans doing human stuff is immensely beneficial to mental health. Libraries, museums, and parks are a good starting point.

Look up local festivals in nearby towns and look at stuff people made by hand/at home. You don't have to buy anything, you don't have to make anything yourself, but seeing things people made by hand will Do Stuff for your brain, especially if you're stuck in doomscroll brain rot mode. Look at that little lumpy bar of soap, that little hand-knit scrubbie, that frog made out of old utensils. Things are still being made by humans all over, and you can go and look at them in person.

If you have the money, get some cheap canvas (near me Michaels has cheap canvas packs that go on sale for like $2/canvas) or thick paper and some poster paint in your favorite colors, and paint with your hands. It doesn't have to be a picture, just use your hands to smear paint on canvas. Poster paint is generally washable, so if you hate it you can just wash it off. Wear gloves if you need to, but put your handprint on that cave wall.

If you're able, arrange to speak out loud to at least one friend a week. "but I hate-" I know, but it's good for you to speak aloud to other friendly primates and share stories. Story sharing is huge for humans. You don't have to be a writer to tell stories, talk about your trip to the grocery store or the cool rock you found. This will have the bonus effect of starting you looking for things to tell your friend on your phone call, which slows you down and lets you notice your life as it's happening.

Some appreciation for the best marvel movie.

Oh this is BRILLIANT 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Nailed it. All of this is true and accurate and also hilariously delivered 😂 The bit where he dropped the pen and was like 🫢💡 Amazing, thanks so much for sharing!

steve: I was born in 1918 am I not a senior citizen?

exaspertated pool employee: yes, but why d-

steve: some of my friends are in this class just let me take it with them!