Recently, I finished binging HBO's Mare of Easttown (and by recently, I mean this afternoon). And in the sixth episode, Mare's grief counselor said something to Kate Winslet's character that has stuck with me. "I don't think you've given yourself the time to properly grieve your son's death." Or something along those lines. Also, that's not a spoiler, her son's death happened prior to the events of the series. That's a great line in the show for her character development, but also just for life advice in general. Who needs to pay for therapy when you can just watch scripted TV drama?
It got me thinking about my own life and the things that I may have not given myself enough time and space to grieve. Granted I haven't lost a son, but this applies to all the things that we carry heavy. Have I given myself enough time? To process my breakup? To deal with my anxieties about paying for grad school and paying back student loan debt? To even deal with my depression and suicidal ideation? And even how do I know if I have? These feel important questions that we should all ask ourselves. What grief/pain/baggage/sadness do we still need to process? And how exactly can we give ourselves the time and space to grieve? With the start of summer today, it's a good season to get out and do the things that make me happy. Seeing friends. Running. Enjoying the sunlight. Reading at a park. Going to the beach. Even though I have to work and deal with the responsibilities on my plate, I need to give myself time for myself. Time to relax and be the person I love the most. And time to think about these things, especially my break up. Even though it's been two months, it still feels heavy. It's healthy of me to continue dealing with the parts of it that make me saddest. I also feel that it's important to continue taking the big stuff day by day. We can plan for the future to make our lives safe and secure. But, I'm already doing that. By investing in grad school and taking care of my mental health, I am investing in a safe and secure future. I don't need to drag myself down with my grief and anxiety. By continuing to live each day doing things that make me happy and continually moving forward, I think we are dealing with it. The steps to dealing with grief and the hardest parts of life will come easier that way. This is brought to you by the ramblings of my brain and the journal I left blank next to me on my desk. Stream Mare of Easttown on HBO Max.
0 Comments
Yesterday, I went on a five-mile run (subtle brag. You caught me. I'm super athletic and in incredible shape). It was a bit chilly in the morning, so I wore my polyester long sleeve shirt from high school soccer. Yet, when I came home, I found bug bites all over my torso. Two on my right shoulder that blend into one super bite and about four spread out on the back of my left arm. Somehow, these vengeful mosquitoes took blood through my shirt without my consent. At least the New York Blood Center is kind enough to call me three times a day until I relent to giving blood just to stop receiving their calls.
Can't these mosquitoes see I'm in the middle of something? There are people just sitting on benches. Go take their blood! They don't need it. I'm running! My heart is working overtime so my muscles don't give out on me. That's like if I walked into McDonald's in the middle of rush hour, grabbed the oven, said "Don't worry, you don't need this," and then walked out the front door with it. I think they needed that a bit more than I did at that moment. And they chose the worst possible time. It's allergy season! You're telling me that I have to deal with pollen, climate change, the widening wealth gap between the billionaires and the poor held down by an unfair system, AND itchy skin? So, what can we do to stop this scourge of Blood Thieves? Apparently mosquitoes are "good for the environment" because they pollinate other plants and are a food source for many species of animals. Prevention is our only means of keeping our skin healthy and itch free! Here's an extensive list of what you can do: - Share this 10 slide graphic on instagram stories to raise awareness - Wear five layers when you go outside. Watch those little jerks try to stab me through five cashmere sweaters from my grandma! - Bug spray. Skip the cologne and smell like a bottle of hand sanitizer all day. - Never go outside. Don't even open your windows or doors. Use duct tape to ensure no bugs can penetrate your safe house. - Drain your blood. Can't get bit if you don't have what they want. - Move to colder environments. I hear Antarctica is beautiful this time of year. - Wear a bat costume all the time. It will scare off the mosquitoes. - Park your car in your living room to limit outdoor exposure. - Just say "no." Mosquitoes legally cannot take your blood if you say no. - Accept that the world is run by mosquitoes and we have no power over the clearly superior species. Cry. Thank you for doing your part to stop this terror of the Culicidae. We can't let them ruin our summer with the mild inconvenience of having to itch our skin every so often. Power back to the Homo Sapiens. |
Rob EnglishJust a kid from Pittsburgh trying to figure out my place in the world and write some things along the way. Archives
February 2024
Categories |