Some of it, I think, is
due to absorbing the news of jaw-dropping horrors across the country and globe.
Orlando, Baghdad, Nice… the sheer frequency of such incidents and the
unrelenting hatred seem unprecedented, shaking my hope in that arc of progress
that bends, slowly but surely, toward justice. The popular ignorance and
inhumanity of Donald Trump hasn’t helped either. Where is the love, the
compassion, the common ground and good will that keep society intact?
But as much as these
broad and legitimate reasons for deep concern have definitely affected my
outlook this year, the primary roots of my weariness are more personal, more
selfish, if I’m being honest – and mostly just not that big a deal in the grand
scheme of things.
But in my little corner
of our fraught world, or at least in my head, those ultimately minor disappointments,
injustices, frustrations and failures have felt pretty big. And they loom even
larger when I’m not feeling well (I’ve had a bad cold this week at an
especially busy time).
And so I think that’s
kind of what’s been going on and getting me down more than usual – just a lot
of what seem like backward, out-of-my-control steps this year, followed by mental
exercises in deep-seated insecurity and self-absorption of every stripe: My
hair sucks. Maybe I am just terrible at this and chose the wrong path. I should
dress better. It’s all my fault. I should be faster at this. What is wrong with
me? Why haven’t I mowed the lawn yet? The weeds
are literally the size of trees. Why do I feel so behind? Are they right that I
am actually going to hell? Why can't I fix this? What is
wrong with me? How have I still not made a dentist appointment? Is it selfish
of me not to plan on procreating? How have I made so little progress
financially at this age? Everyone else seems to be juggling
life just fine. Stop looking at Facebook. Get it together, self! Blahhhhh.
On the upside, 2016 has
been a really good reminder to me of how much we need each other and that I am
beloved and understood (and so are you) by the people who know me and love me
anyway, even when I’m at my worst. To have people in our lives that time and
again help us claw our way out of our zany heads and keep on keeping on is no
small grace.
In addition, I’ve taken refuge in more ice cream and other indulgences than I’d care to admit in
recent months, but hey, oh well. Ice cream is very delicious and helpful. So is
keeping a sense of humor, particularly about ourselves. Sleep is good, too, and
possibly my most key accomplishment of 2016 was investing in a new
mattress. Definitely an underrated errand.