Dark Days

Everything sucks. The optimist in me shivers as I type those words, but damn, enough is enough. Even the most positive people can only take so much. Tragedy, death, destruction, heartache, sickness, it’s a daily thing lately. Bad news on top of bad news. And I know it’s not just me; other people are feeling it too. 

I feel like I have a little optimist angel on one shoulder, and a pessimistic devil on the other. As I think about all the pieces of the world crumbling around me, the optimist angel is telling me, “It’s not all bad. Think of everything you have to be grateful for.” Meanwhile the pessimist devil is leaning out around my face, holding up its middle finger, telling the optimist angel, “F*ck you!” And I’m left here in the middle, shrugging my shoulders.  

Yes, I know I am truly blessed and have a ton to be thankful for, and I’m genuinely grateful for all the good. I really am. But dang, the world seems to be going to hell in a handbasket. It’s hard to stay positive when there is sadness and bad news around every corner. Is this what getting older feels like? Is it because the circle of people you know grows exponentially as you age, therefore you experience more loss and grief just because of the sheer number of people in your circle?  

I know life ebbs and flows, delivering both good days and bad days. It’s always felt like a delicate balance. But lately, it’s been a dark tidal wave (think tsunami) of sad that just doesn’t seem to let up. Even though my optimistic angel is saying it isn’t as bad as it seems, that this is just a season that will pass, things will improve soon, my pessimistic devel is telling me they won’t, that this darkness will just hang around, perpetually doling out sadness like dandelion fluff on a windy day.  

So, dear readers, if you are feeling the sadness too, let’s do our best to work through this together. For every piece of bad news that comes our way, let’s acknowledge it, but then think of good news to balance it out. Even if you must really dig deep to conjure up some good news (e.g. I’m still breathing, I didn’t lose a tooth today, no sharp objects were within my reach, I wasn’t impaled, etc.). I can come up with more bare-minimum things to be thankful for if you run out, just give me a shout.  

​Let’s do our best to take care of each other, lift each other up, show kindness. Let’s smile more, even when it kind of hurts. Hug your people, even if it’s just virtually, whenever they need it. My hope for you all is that you’ll find goodness even on your darkest days and have the strength to bitch slap that pessimist devil right off your shoulder. To brighter days ahead, stay strong my friends.