Man, the end of August really snuck up on me and, a little
unwell over the weekend, I didn’t feel like doing my monthly wrap-up. So here I
am finally, a few days late.
August was a month full of some bitter, but not unexpected,
disappointments. In a letter to a friend last week, I was talking about how I’d
had a lot of good news/bad news situations in Aug., but when I saw it all laid
out before me, it seemed like there was a lot more bad than good. When I got to
thinking about it, though, I realized that all the bad stuff in my life hasn’t
been particularly bad. It’s all been endurable.
I have a lot of friends currently experiencing things that seem
unendurable. My heart aches for them. I’ve been thinking a lot about how we –
i.e. humans – survive tragedy. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend who’d
recently suffered his second major loss in less than a year. “I don’t know how
to do this,” he said. “I don’t feel ready.” I don’t think we’re ever truly ready
for life. We’ll all have to endure really bad stuff sooner or later. We get
through because we have to sometimes, not necessarily because we want to.
So as I sit here, thinking back on a month that seemed to
throw a lot of obstacles in my path, I realize that things really aren’t so bad.
I have all the tools I need to not only get by, but to persevere. I suspect
that my biggest obstacle in life is myself. I wonder how many other people feel
the same way.
As for what’s been going on in Texas, I honestly haven’t been
paying any attention to the local scene. The big national news was Miley Cyrus’s
twerking. Just kidding. Sort of. Okay, so the actual big national news was
what’s been going on in Syria and how the U.S. government wants to make things
better by blowing stuff up. Personally, I feel that blowing stuff up hasn’t worked
out so well for us lately, but what do I know? I’m no diplomat.
I'm going to keep wrap-up brief this month and close here. It was August 2013 and all of that existential stuff was on my mind. If you're stopping by to read, why don't you tell me what's been on yours?
I've been thinking about family, or rather Family. My immediate family is crazy, but awesome. The rest of it seems to be just crazy and not in a fun or good way. I wonder why they don't have the same views on blood ties and loyalty. I also find that in my mind I've adopted some folks along the way. I wonder if they know it.
ReplyDelete"I suspect that my biggest obstacle in life is myself." You really hit the nail on the head with that statement.
ReplyDeleteI relate exactly. It's so nice to know there are at least two of us. :)
Cindy - Since my own family is so small, I've always felt like my friends are part of my family. I have a lot of friends that I would do practically anything for.
ReplyDeleteHelen - I have a feeling that there are far more than two of us! :)
My biggest obstacle is myself too! Today has been a day full of that. Hopefully I will recover enough to go to Yoga.
ReplyDeleteMy Augusts for the last eight years have been rather black and white. I have 2-3 weeks of wonderful vacation and then BAM! I work a ton of hours in the last two weeks, plenty more than I do the rest of the year. The September is all about recovery.
P, I hope that September has already proven to be restful for you!
ReplyDelete