Not sure if it’s that summer triple digit heat is ramping up or what, but I have been so cranky lately that I need to step back and take a breather.

When I start to hear myself say something snarky or be rude to a stranger I’ve started just shutting my mouth mid-sentence and apologizing to them.  It’s not okay to act that way, what is my problem??

“I’m so sorry, that wasn’t very nice, I apologize for the way I just spoke to you. It wasn’t okay.”

Sidenote: Does anyone else when they are angry have fantasies about breaking things?Nothing that hurts anyone or myself-I mean like going out into the desert and just smashing a bunch of plates or something.  And letting out a scream at the top of my lungs.

But I realize that’s not practical.  (Right…? Not practical…or a very good idea…)

So, I have to deal with anger. With agitation.

And I have to deal with it in a real way that is sustainable throughout day to day life.

Yoga has really helped, and so has breathing.

This is one of my favorite guided breath tools…it’s a really simply GIF that helps you regulate and slow your breath.

It’s hard to believe something so simple can be so effective.

But sometimes with deep breaths I feel like I’m entering a kind of closed off portal and can tune everything out and just concentrate on one thing for a moment–and then the brain and heart calm.

I think we’re taught from such an early age that certain emotions are bad, like anger, and sometimes as adults we’re not totally sure what to do with these emotions when they arise.

I love this quote from Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Anger is like a howling baby, suffering and crying. The baby needs his mother to embrace him. You are the mother for your baby, your anger. The moment you begin to practice breathing mindfully in and out, you have the energy of a mother, to cradle and embrace the baby. Just embracing your anger, just breathing in and breathing out, that is good enough. The baby will feel relief right away. “

Remember also that all of humans are on this big blue marble together (yup, I used that dumb metaphor because it makes me smile) is also helpful. TOGETHER. At the end of the day we’re all humans and we’re in this life TOGETHER.  And we have to be kind. And we have to say sorry. And we have to let our pride down. And we have to ask forgiveness when we wrong each other. And we have to listen.

Together. We’re in this together.

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After some thoughts on anger I figure we’d need something uplifting. 😉

Here’s the Clark County Museum Part 2, which focuses on their indoor exhibition hall. And if you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

The fun part about this museum is that although it’s smaller than something like the Nevada State Museum, they take great care to cover many different areas of Nevada history.

The museum starts with the geographical and natural history of Southern Nevada, and then moves into the history of the native people’s of the area as well.

From natural and native people’s histories the museum starts to focus on industrial histories of Nevada, such as mining.

The museum continues and focuses on other types of travel and industry, such as the railroad and riverboats in the early 20th century.

I especially loved the recreation of the tent (pictured here below) which had a setup like one would have had in the late 19th century or early 20th century.

When we used to come to this museum as kids I used to wish this was where I lived so badly! It led to my brother and I creating many a blanket fort inspired by this little dwelling…

The museum also address the atomic history of Las Vegas.

Although their collection is not as extensive as the National Atomic Testing Museum here, it does feature items used domestically as well as at test sites during the first half of the 20th century.

From there the museum begins to focus on the mainstay of Vegas tourism, the history of gambling.

At the end of the exhibition hall is a section dedicated to rotating exhibits, and through August they are showing Bringing It Home: Souvenirs of the Strip.

Collectible items featured in the show are poker chips, matchbooks, travel soaps, swizzle sticks, menus, and coin cups (because we used to gamble with coins here folks!)

I especially loved the coin cups because they’re an item I have such vivid memories of as a kid here in Vegas that don’t exist anymore.

When my grandparents used to visit from out of town, after a night at the casino, they’d always give my brother and I a cup of either pennies or nickels.

IT WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!

It was usually only $10-$15, but to an 8 year kid it was BANK.

It was also fun seeing the now defunct casino’s memorabilia like Sahara, Showboat, and Stardust,  alongside properties that are still around but rebranded like the Tropicana.

At the end of the journey I highly recommend stopping by their gift store–they feature an extensive collection of Nevada and Las Vegas centric books, and if you have little ones they have some really fun bits and bites for kids–re: ROCK COLLECTION.

I hope you get a chance to visit and enjoy the Clark County Museum this summer..definitely worth the drive and the afternoon out and about!

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Thank you for reading and happy sobering friends!