Things Lost

January is typically a month when I’m motivated to post something positive to start the new year. But this year is different. It is now almost March and I’ve yet to string together enough positive words that don’t feel like a lie. Sure, the Country has new leadership that I believe will head us in a better direction, and yes, vaccines are getting into arms to protect us from this virus. But we are still at the bottom of a pretty deep, dark hole and have just begun the long climb upwards. It will be hard. … Hard because overcoming big challenges typically requires teamwork, an ability we have lost at the uppermost levels of government and which has pitted Americans against one another. Lost because too many of our leaders have sold their self-respect, decency, and integrity while jumping into the bottomless pit of partisan money and power. We are all suffering for it.

Beating a dead horse yet again, 2020 will be discussed and written about for years to come. Unfortunately, even those discussions will tend to deepen our divide, we are all so ‘dug-in’ on our respective sides. It will take historians decades to make sense of it all. Maybe future generations will learn from our mistakes, but given the parallels to recent history I have serious doubts.

While uselessly trying to solve all the world’s ills on a hike with a close friend last week it became obvious I’ve lost much of my optimism, patience, and tolerance this past year. They have slowly and painfully drained from my soul as it became increasingly apparent how easy it is to con so many of us, how woefully inadequate the checks and balances of our democracy are, and how quickly social media can strip away our humanity. These are not small things. I thought we were better than this.

So starts 2021. Onward and upward, I hope.

-Russ

Finding Some Peace

We all need to take a deep breath. And then another. And another.

Too frequently these days I want to lock myself in a room and simply scream. And scream some more. But, instead, I just hold it in. … It’s not all that unusual for me to come to this brink every now and again, but recently it is nearly a daily occurrence. My insides feel like that rubber-band-driven toy airplane that has been wound much too tight and is about to unleash its twisted fury with just one more turn of the propeller.

I’ll bet many reading this can relate. It’s 2020, which is about to take it’s rightful place up there on the shelf with the worst years any of us can remember. Right after it finishes turning all of us into certifiable, anxiety-ridden, stress-malady-riddled basket cases.

From my own circle of family, friends, and acquaintances to people I only read about, most seem to be suffering in some way from the stress: Ulcers, anger, hives, or just plain uncontrollable anxiety. It’s hurting us more than we know. We all seem to be living one last straw away from losing our shit – not surprising in this culture that pushes us ever harder, even in a normal year.

So take that deep breath. And another. Don’t watch the news today. Take a slow walk with your children or a friend. Go to the beach. Don’t engage in social media politics for a while. Instead, do something that brings you peace.

My wish for us all is that we can find the balance between this chaos and some serenity that will help keep us calm and sane. Even this year.

-Russ