Marjo and I were discussing on Friday morning the article that NBC news had published earlier in the week about how Americans are really, really stressed. The article is not fake news; we are stressed.

Political divisiveness. The pandemic. Inflation. And now, the Russia Ukraine situation. Will the country ever see "good times" again? The answer is, "I don't know, but probably".

Gas prices have been the talk of the town lately and rightfully so. Gas, which was already around $3.50 a gallon just three weeks ago, has jumped 75 cents to $4.25 a gallon. This is the highest gas has ever been in Massachusetts breaking 2008's previous record.

Heating oil? Even worse. I just paid $917.36 for 187 gallons of home heating oil on Friday. Yeah, that's $4.89 a gallon! Am I upset about it? Eh.

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Let me preface this by saying this is in no way me "humble bragging" about being able to afford almost a thousand dollars for oil, this is more about gratitude I suppose.

Am I rich? Hell no. A thousand dollars for oil hurts my wallet just like anybody else, but I'm grateful to have an oil tank in a home to fill.

A good friend once told me, "you can't quantify struggle". People have their 'hard'. Even the 1%ers have their hard, even though that's hard to believe.

Would you rather be fleeing Ukraine? Is my point...

Let's take a breath, smell the roses, be here now, whatever we have to do to get through another difficult chapter in American history.

The country has been through worse.

15 Ways You Can Help People in Ukraine Right Now

As Americans watch events unfold in Ukraine, many wonder how they can help. Below is a list of organizations responding to the crisis in Ukraine along with information on how you can support their various missions. 

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