A Week of Ups and Downs

A week of ups and downs (aren't they all) ...

1. The normal weariness of these past weeks living in a pandemic world continues to cover our routines with a fog, as I mentioned last week. That said, a couple things stand out from that routine, one an event, and one a recurring thought.

While the big national event this week was the inauguration of Joe Biden as President, it was the event he conducted the prior night that was most impactful to our household. Biden hosted a national memorial for the 400,000 (and growing) individuals who have died from COVID-19 in our country. It was an acknowledgement, from the highest sources of our government, of the loss that our family and so many others have experienced over the last year. It was the first time there was any acknowledgment from our federal government and its leaders that so many of us our hurting and grieving every day, and are unable to move forward because the pandemic continues to rage and dominate every facet of everyday life. I read somewhere that the event allowed us to exhale a breath we didn't know we were holding. That felt true. As Biden said that night, "to heal, we must remember." We remember.

The recurring thought I had throughout this week is the continued use of social media, considering the damage it seems to leave in its wake. In particular, for me, it involves Twitter (as I no longer have a Facebook account, and my use of Instagram is typically much calmer and less obsessive). My Twitter use, in part from my desire to be in the know about news and events, is, to be honest, compulsive. The recurring thought is how much time I spend, and what ways it could be better spent. I read a few years ago that today we read just as many words as we ever did, but more and more of them are on social media as opposed to in newspapers, magazines, and books. That fact has stayed with me over the years as I consider how I spend my time. William James, the American philosopher who founded the philosophical school of Pragmatism, wrote that our experiences are the sum of what we agree to pay attention to; such a statement begs the question - is Twitter (or any other social media) what we want to be our life experiences? Recurring thoughts.

This week marked the 100th day of the school year. This year the school told the kids they could dress up "like a 100-year old" to bring some levity to a challenging school year. So, in all its glory, here is Maia's interpretation of a 100-year- old cat lady, with silver hair, a shawl, and chained glasses.

2. While the above - a small moment of healing and a clarifying thought - represented the ups, the downs are the continued struggles on the health front. I did manage to make it on the treadmill three times this week, it was on the first three days. Also, I continue to fail to commit each day to the right eating choices to make sustained progress. It's frustrating, but that's where things are at the moment. All I can do at this point is to continue to walk up that hill. ("Fall down seven times, stand up eight." - Japanese proverb).

3. On the reading front this week, I finished No. 4 - Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power by David Dayen, which was really well done and a little bit terrifying. I also completed No. 5 - Rion Amilcar Scott's The World Doesn't Require You, a book of short stories and a novella. I've started The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, and will likely crack open The Deficit Myth by Stephanie Kelton this week as well. After that I think I'll dive into a few middle-grade works I've picked up at the library. 

I also read "Among the Insurrectionists" from last week's New Yorker, which is one of the best pieces I've read concerning the events of January 6th at the Capitol. Truly incredible reporting, and I highly recommend the piece.