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Weekend self-care open thread: Goodbye, and hello


We had such high hopes for 2021. The interloper in the White House had been voted out. Joe Biden was preparing to take office. A sense of relief and hope was spreading not only across the nation, but the world. We would draw a line under the disaster of 2020 and start working to set things to rights.

And then the insurrection happened. And then the disloyal opposition did everything it could to make things worse. And then, as usual, the screechers on "our side" went into the usual "not fast enough, not good enough, no difference".

The last year was, in many ways, more painful that 2020, as it seems that many people learned any lessons. Selfishness came back to the fore. We went from "we're all in this together", from citizens applauding healthcare workers, to "screw you". Most of us did the right thing. Most of us tried to heal ourselves and others. But too many of us were too mired in our own self-centeredness. They saw no reason to change, no reason to be different. They received affirmation for their disregard for others from many quarters, including the former president they adored. They delighted in being oppositional for its own sake. There was no principle involved; it was merely being against whatever "the enemy" was for. There was no acknowledgment of the common good. No idea that no human is an island.

But, a new year is here. There is always a chance for change. There is always a chance for hope. This past year has made us wiser. It has reminded us that nothing worth doing is easy. We thought that the horrors of the previous four years would allow us to reset things. But nothing is ever that simple. Life doesn't lay out in neat, orderly succession. I'm still convinced that we're heading in the right direction. I'm still convinced that we will achieve all the goals we want to achieve. But it will take more work. It will take more time. We are in a marathon, and we had better get used to that. All we can do is run, one foot after the other.

We've lost much. We've shared our losses on this blog. But we've also celebrated our joys. Life is not black and white. Life is not gray. Life is a kaleidoscope. It is a wonderful, garish splash of colors. The colors can be frightening. The colors can fill us with wonder. All of it is part of life. Life goes on, and doesn't wait for anyone. Life is worth living, because its wonders feed our souls. We all have a sacred life-force in us. It is a gift none of us should refuse. It is a gift given to us by those who came before us. It is a gift entrusted to us to pass on to those who will follow us. We are custodians, not masters. Once we remove the idea from our minds of mastery, we will discover that secret of life, which is that we are all one, all dependent on the other. It takes a village not only to raise a child, but to have any sort of meaningful life.

This coming year is yet another chance to get it right. It is one more opportunity to make our lives and the lives of those around us more fulfilled. Kindness and love are the motive forces which make any sort of progress possible. Not anger. Not hatred. Those foster only destruction.

Remember 2021. But bury it. It's over. It's gone. We don't start with a clean slate, but we start again. All we must do is to keep plugging away. All we must do is to make the world better, bit by bit, each of us in our own small way. Combined, we can move mountains.

Happy New Year, everyone.
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