I find myself again affected by yet another human tragedy that seems so senseless. There's something particularly disturbing for us when we don't know, or see, a real reason for why such atrocities occurred. It makes sense that we try to understand; when we can come up with an answer to "Why?" then maybe we can avoid such violence befalling us and our loved ones again. Maybe we can fix it. While it is my personal belief that stricter regulation on firearms would reduce gun violence in this country, I'm under no illusion that it'll fix the problem altogether. So, we are left with the reality that such things as what happened in Las Vegas are possible and we can't always avoid them. The blessing of "nothing to do" is that we can come back to "now." We can come back to practice loving-kindness with ourselves and, by extension, with others. If you feel that there are some things you can do, then by all means, do them. But recognize that it may be nothing more than calling a good friend you haven't spoken to in awhile, or just taking some time to sit and breathe in silence. It may look like "nothing," but love, peace and calm are contagious, and we could use as much of that kind of contagion as possible!
 Please, if you feel like you need, or would just like, to talk to someone, do that! It can be so helpful just to have someone listen. When we feel heard, we really hear ourselves. I'd be happy to be that listener for you. You can contact me here. Warmest wishes to you all.