i have no idea, really

i have had ongoing text conversations today with three people in my life that i love very much, all of whom are being crushed under the weight of 2020. i hate to even give the year a nod, but it is so relentless. between political doom-sayers, quarantine, economic uncertainty, violence and fear, injustice, climate change... it's all so much and there seems to be no relief in sight. the world just feels so very heavy, both on the macro and micro scales. there is only so long we can ignore it / try to pretend it doesn't matter... and when that limit is hit, how on earth do we face, let alone deal with, what lies in front of us?

rest assured, friends, that i have no idea. there are so many battles, large and small, on so many fronts. i, too, am overwhelmed. i do, though, have a (very) small "however" ... 

'misery loves company.' i am starting to think we've been looking at this idiom upside-down. i've always understood it to mean that those who are miserable like to make everyone else miserable along with them. however... what if it's more along the lines of, when we are miserable we are comforted and lifted somehow in the company of others, the ones who love us? because i look at the circumstances of life and the world, and they feel so much sharper because i am isolated from my people. humans are *made* to be in relationships... whether you're a 'one person' person or an 'all the people' person, our miseries are actually made for company, relieved in community, lifted by being seen by another human. 

the not-so-secret secret is that we are all kind of miserable right now... to different degrees, sure, but no one is just out here thriving and living their best life, even if they seem to be on facebook. trust me. so. all of that being said, if you are overwhelmed, if you are spiraling down the rabbit hole, maybe reach out to someone. maybe let your misery have some company and let someone help you carry it for a minute, or an hour, or a long phone call or a backyard sit... i think it will help us all. it's not an original idea, but i think it's a keeper.