Today, I am overwhelmed. I had something akin to a nervous breakdown twice. My trip to New York to visit my grandparents and best friend has been cancelled due to growing cases of COVID-19 in Florida. To boot, in the past week, the world of stand-up comedy has seen the floodgates opened by way of abuse allegations from underage women against Chris Delia. Delia hasn’t made a public statement regarding the matter just yet, but bits and pieces of evidence have floated to the public eye and the internet is up in arms. One girl came forward, then another, then another. With that, other women came forward about other celebrities who committed acts of abuse, like Ansel Elgort and even Justin Bieber (though, to be fair, Bieber appears to be pursuing a lawsuit for the extent of which these accusations are false, and has files upon files and photographic evidence proving this one girl’s story is false).
Between racial injustice, the makings of a new wave of #MeToo accusations, and the killer virus that isn’t going away no matter how much we pretend it isn’t, I am feeling stressed out about the world right now.
Keeping this in the forefront of my brain, I want to take a minute to name some things that are making me happy. These are some nice things in my life right now:
- Last Sunday I made really good banana bread. It was my first time making that recipe, and I made it spontaneously, and it was delicious. I’m proud of that banana bread.
- I’ve been going on walks daily, when there’s no rain happening. Aaron has started to join me, and now we’re walking together after dinner. It’s a nice new way to spend time together.
- Jake and Rosa snuggle with me at the end of the night. Both last night and the night before, Jake slept on my pillow and Rosa slept near my feet. They are so sweet and loving.
- I am healthy and alive.
It is so easy for me to slide into despair headfirst, but remembering the good helps me balance out the bad.
I know things will be okay one day. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the sun (at a safe distance) and hug my family. That’s what counts, after all of this.