Related to this so much, but especially loved the Gertie shout-out <3 Thank goodness for sweet cats (and animals in general) who manage to be bright spots on the darkest days.
Last night I figured out it’s time to learn about Substack. I left Twitter when it became so dark, but recalled some if my favorite accounts had -follow me on Substack! links so I downloaded the ap.
I’m a Gen X empty nester trying to make peace with chronic illness from ‘mild’ Covid I had in late 2020. Then this morning I found you and this amazing story. Karma, baby. I really needed something like this today, thank you.
Katie, as always you provide plenty to think about as my dumb brain tries to process life. A positive feeling of optimism is something that has to be nurtured, fed, and tended to on a daily basis. If you just leave it alone, basking selfishly in its glory while it shines, the shine begins to fade and your dumb brain begins to forget the beauty of it. When you are in a state of positive optimism, THAT is the time to push for more optimism, to dig and scrape for other scraps of positive reinforcement. Become addicted to it!
Great post Katie. I agree that every new year we all make new goals and plans to try and reach and possibly not accomplish it. And that constant cycle can be depressing. Not to mention all the frustrations of the world barely improving if at all. But one of the points that Kelsey made that I strongly believe in is to not use all your precious energy to fight the reality of the world we now live in. It's true, that if we spend our days worrying about everything that's going on in the world, that we can't control, we are just going to be miserable. Why would you want to sit and worry when you can look at what is in front of you right now and enjoy it the best that you can. Now, I tend to worry a lot about my situations but I also make a point to enjoy some of the good that is right in front of me every day. Take care Katie.
Thank you so much for writing this. It hit me when Kelsey said you need to have someone else to connect with over this. I have been feeling so lonely simply because I feel I have no one I can share these fears with. I really struggle to understand how the people around me can see/hear/experience everything that is going on and continue with life as normal. Kelsey's words have motivated me to keep expressing my own thoughts and feelings around these things. There are obviously a lot of people feeling the same, I just haven't managed to find them in my day to day to life! But the writing community on Substack has been a lifesaver for me this last year!
This is so, so interesting. Through sharing the darkness, or at least being willing to see it and acknowledge it, we can see each other’s light too. Maybe that *is* the light, to see and acknowledge and accept each other as we actually are?
Related to this so much, but especially loved the Gertie shout-out <3 Thank goodness for sweet cats (and animals in general) who manage to be bright spots on the darkest days.
Last night I figured out it’s time to learn about Substack. I left Twitter when it became so dark, but recalled some if my favorite accounts had -follow me on Substack! links so I downloaded the ap.
I’m a Gen X empty nester trying to make peace with chronic illness from ‘mild’ Covid I had in late 2020. Then this morning I found you and this amazing story. Karma, baby. I really needed something like this today, thank you.
😭
Katie, as always you provide plenty to think about as my dumb brain tries to process life. A positive feeling of optimism is something that has to be nurtured, fed, and tended to on a daily basis. If you just leave it alone, basking selfishly in its glory while it shines, the shine begins to fade and your dumb brain begins to forget the beauty of it. When you are in a state of positive optimism, THAT is the time to push for more optimism, to dig and scrape for other scraps of positive reinforcement. Become addicted to it!
Great post Katie. I agree that every new year we all make new goals and plans to try and reach and possibly not accomplish it. And that constant cycle can be depressing. Not to mention all the frustrations of the world barely improving if at all. But one of the points that Kelsey made that I strongly believe in is to not use all your precious energy to fight the reality of the world we now live in. It's true, that if we spend our days worrying about everything that's going on in the world, that we can't control, we are just going to be miserable. Why would you want to sit and worry when you can look at what is in front of you right now and enjoy it the best that you can. Now, I tend to worry a lot about my situations but I also make a point to enjoy some of the good that is right in front of me every day. Take care Katie.
Thank you so much for writing this. It hit me when Kelsey said you need to have someone else to connect with over this. I have been feeling so lonely simply because I feel I have no one I can share these fears with. I really struggle to understand how the people around me can see/hear/experience everything that is going on and continue with life as normal. Kelsey's words have motivated me to keep expressing my own thoughts and feelings around these things. There are obviously a lot of people feeling the same, I just haven't managed to find them in my day to day to life! But the writing community on Substack has been a lifesaver for me this last year!
@Cheerful_Nihilism is actually my favorite instagram account 😂
Amen, and amen.
This is so, so interesting. Through sharing the darkness, or at least being willing to see it and acknowledge it, we can see each other’s light too. Maybe that *is* the light, to see and acknowledge and accept each other as we actually are?