Now what? A personal note
Even before yesterday’s election, I was feeling down. As regular readers know, I’ve been reeling from the death of my ex-husband, and in connection with that I’ve also been very occupied with sad legal tasks and practical and sometimes overwhelming chores like going through his things and clearing out his home. My son and my grandchildren live far far away. And several of my friends are very ill, and I mean very.
My ex probably would have been able to joke me out of my funk at yesterday’s election results, at least for a moment. He’d been making me laugh for almost sixty years. But now he’s gone, and it’s been very hard.
I have no intention of stopping the blog. However, I had already been thinking about writing somewhat less about politics and more about other things. I’m not really sure that I’ll be writing less about politics. I’ll just go with how I feel, day by day.
Down. Me too. I haven’t felt so down in about year, so I reach for my venlaflaxin SSRI. One then two a day.
I probably have a weird disposition. People say, one should live mostly in the moment. I tend to be constantly looking forward and estimating what will happen next, and kind of expecting the worst. And looking backward a lot for the guidance of history. And I try to stay dispassionate about all of it.
So when the sh_t hits the fan, like today, I always feel like “Yeah, what did you expect Tommy?”
I am feeling down also, but have not had to deal with the loss you’ve had, Neo. I am trying to avoid watching or reading political news; it’s too depressing. Was it Andrew Breitbart who said politics is downstream from culture? The American soul needs mending.
I don’t feel so down today, only because I’ve had this feeling of foreboding all year. The bad guys, through their megaphones, have ruled the popular zeitgeist, while the good guys have been whistling past a graveyard of complacency*. No, it was not sufficient to mock the bad guys through memes and snide remarks; the good guy case needed to be forcefully made, especially to counter the relentless left agitprop.
* no, not every good guy, not even most good guys, but too many of those who count in the influence sweepstakes
Who can blame you for feeling down? You’ve had a heavy burden put on you. Three possibilities:
1. Take a vacation from the blog. A real vacation, where you don’t write a single thing or even think about it. If you set a period of time, like 2 weeks or a month, perhaps that will renew your spirit without killing the blog.
2. Take a vacation but have a guest host take on the blog. And don’t even read the posts or comments during that time. Get it completely off your mind.
3. Focus only on things you enjoy in the blog, like ballet or quirky stories.
No matter what you do, your loyal readers will be here when you decide to get back to analyzing the political scene. Not only are you here for us, we are here for you. Be well.
Neo: I sympathize but very selfishly hope you will keep blogging. If it is about stuff other than politics, that is fine with me. I find politics (a) riveting (the full panoply of human vice and folly, in concentrated doses) but (b) instructive and even important in shaping my own thinking. But I think you bring that clarity and honesty to bear on any topic you choose to discuss. Example: dance. I know nothing about it, but your infectious love for it has opened my eyes to it, and I would happily read/listen to you holding forth on that. Or on weightier matters, like the death of your ex. None of us is getting younger and, without getting morose, we might do well to study that truth.
Enough. Bless you for all you do.