510 Days Left

1460 Days

I wrote the above blog post on January 1, 2017, and by my calculations, 950 days have passed since then. That leaves 510 days left until Inauguration Day, 2021 when the next presidency will begin. 

After a discussion with my cousin last night, I realized that I hadn't been doing this blog or this project, pretty much since I set out to do it. I had given in to the fear, anger, and despair. Granted, there's been a lot to have fear, anger, and despair for, but I have come to the conclusion that I just can't live in that and sustain any sort of healthy life. 

I can't ignore the bad things in this world, or not fight them, but at the same time, I can't ignore the good things, or not embrace them, either. I have been out of balance for too long, and it's time I fixed that. As I said in my original post, if I have to spend the rest of this presidency playing the Glad Game, then so be it. 

I realized something this past summer as I did my annual viewing of the classic Disney film, Pollyanna. The Glad Game isn't some saccharine, cutesy game played by somebody who had a lot to be glad about, it's actually a defense mechanism that Pollyanna and her father used to get through life. It was a conscious choice, their way of saying "I will not let the horrors of the world define me or control my emotions. I choose joy, because how else can I get through life if I am not positive? I will not let those horrors win. I choose happiness."

So, I am going to embrace the Glad Game too. I will continue to talk about the things we need to fight for or against, but I will also try to balance it out with at least one positive post a day. A respite from all the awfulness that seems to be cascading upon this planet with a swiftness we could not imagine with this presidency began. 

 

For too long, I let this presidency bring nothing but anger out of me, and it took my voice away. I haven't blogged in a long time, and even the novel I'm trying to write is a daily struggle. I've let this awful person have too much of my energy, and it's time I take it back. I will not live in fear of what might happen in the world, not when I can still speak out against it. It's not much, but sometimes it's all we can do.

Are any of you also feeling out of balance right now? Like the world is overwhelming and just too much? I highly recommend that you find ways to limit what you consume in the news and on social media. There are some very simple ways to wrest back control of those two issues that seem to be consuming us, instead of the other way around. And for the sake of your own mental health, take breaks from the horrors every once in a while. Even if it means you miss something entirely. The fight will still be there when you get back. None of us is any good if we're drained, hollow shells of our former selves. And with as much energy as you spend on the bad things in the world, I encourage you to spend an equal amount on the good things in the world. And if you can't find good things, then become the good thing yourself. 

 

Some days it might be really difficult to find something good to focus on, but I am determined to seek it out and share it with you all. I have 510 days left until the next presidency, I can choose to see that as 510 days of horror to endure or 510 days of opportunities to find good and be good. I know which one I want to choose. How about you?