“We are going to be okay.” This is what people say when they are not sure what to say. I say it often and believe it too. I think as people we are programmed to have Hope yet one of my neighbors maintains that we are all basically born evil and selfish, and – if you get him going – he can make some compelling arguments. Years ago I lost a child and many people told me that it was going to be okay. At the time, I did not want it to be okay, but rather mourn the loss and absorb the significance of the loss. In my heart, I knew it would be okay, but I did not want to hear it. Looking back, I probably went a year without laughter or happiness. I am okay today, but think about this loss frequently. Over the years, I have reached out to others who have experienced a similar loss. There really are no words to describe the pain or to comfort anyone other than being there for them when they need a friendly ear. After my loss, I was urged to go to a grief support group, which I did – once a month – for about 6 months. It was comforting to be around other people who had shared a similar loss, but I knew when it was time to move on because I did not want to dwell on my loss any longer. Recently I have been blogging about the economy, and how dire it is for many people. Someone who read my blog yesterday called me and asked me if I was depressed. I had to think about it, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I might be depressed, but then again, all of us should be, especially if you are compassionate. The bad economic news is constant and unrelenting. Don’t get me wrong, we need to be positive, but – in my experience — to sort any problem out, one has to acknowledge the reality of the situation to find a solution. What’s going on in the U.S. and the world today is catastrophic to most Americans, and some of our best minds have joined forces to solve our issues of the day. This is good. There is a guy at my gym who believes that we should block out all media giving us bad news. Maybe he is right? We are going to be okay; I agree, but it’s just going to take some time, and I am going to be happy today.
Tags: economy, melslife healthy living
