Coming into the end of August I feel like it’s time to take a step back. This year has been horrific, on so many levels. The pandemic continues to take the lives of now more than 170,000 Americans. Somehow Wall Street has defied gravity and with it the housing market, yet unemployment and potentially permanent job losses have been staggering, especially in the hospitality, travel and restaurant sectors. Our entire economy has shifted online, including our schools which are now back in session and on Zoom. We’ve already had rolling blackouts this fall and an historically high heat wave. California again is on fire sparked by freak thunder and lightening storms. Once again our autumn skies are choked with smoke, and people’s homes are being lost. The beloved post office has been reorganized within three months or a presidential election, and as a result the mail has been delayed. Checks, medication, and yes ballots all rely on the timely delivery of the US mail. And the postal service needs a multi-billion dollar lifeline!
It’s too much right? When you go on social media now everyone is posting about politics. Opinions, facts and fiction are all a blur in the murky waters of the internet that are further obfuscated by foreign actors manipulating our opinions. I have a degree in Political Science from UCSD and the reason I chose not to pursue a career in politics is exactly because of all the BS. Politics haven’t changed, but the profile of politics has been elevated by social media, piling that BS higher and deeper than ever before.
Our society has been torn apart. Some of it has been necessary because black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have always died at the hands of authorities: deaths that never should have happened. They deserved to be protected and served, not choked and shot to death. The protests were important. The looting by criminals, the shooting and tear gassing by the police at innocent civilians and journalists, it’s been heart breaking.
I’m not trying to make this a political blog. I don’t want it to be and maybe I shouldn’t even be publishing this because it may be construed that way. The last thing I want is to get into a political debate. It's just too much for me right now. I have wonderful friends who are both Democrats and Republicans. These are people I respect and admire. We live in a free country and I have no issue with people having different opinions. I refuse to judge.
With all this going on I need to take a step back. I also feel like it’s important to keep working. But we all need to treat ourselves as well as we can, especially right now. We need to take care of our minds and bodies. There’s so much going on in the world, we can’t let it become overwhelming. We can’t let these events, which in too many ways are out of our control, we can’t let them define us. We have good lives to lead.
I’m going to stay focused on family, work and my well being. I want to stay positive and continue helping others where I can. And I’m going to take time for myself. I highly recommend it. Get out and do something you love. I’m going surfing as soon as the smoke clears. Fortunately the best surfing season, which is in the fall in Northern California, is right around the corner just when we need it most.
The ocean is my happy place. Where is your happy place? I suggest you seek it out and take a step back into it as often as you can. You’ll need it. There’s still several months left in 2020.