Mental Health In a Time of Chaos
Five for Friday, February 21, 2024
I need a break from politics. Trump, Musk, the Bibas family, the war in Ukraine, the Gulf of Mexico, funding for needy kids, school test scores, the fate of young people — it’s weighing on me today.
Keeping sane during this period of chaos is important. We can’t always be filled with slight dread. So, I ran with my running group today. I’m packing up to see my kid at college this weekend and have plans to go to Florida the following weekend to visit extended family. I’m participating in local clubs and activities. I’m cooking and watching TV with Steve in the evening.
It’s Friday, which means I get to write about silly things that are essential to my sanity. So, let’s do it. Five nuggets of randomness are coming your way!
Microplastics
Worried about microplastics and colon cancer, I threw out all of our plastic containers last month. Not everything that RFK Jr. says is crazy.
Art in Williamstown, MA
On the way back from dropping my kid off at college in Vermont, we went to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA. They have a nice permanent exhibit with a selection of 19th-century French and American art. The art skews towards flowery women in big dresses and many dudes out in the West. In the wintertime, they rent out cross-country skis to explore their grounds.
Not Bowling Alone
It’s terribly expensive to live in New Jersey. The housing costs and taxes are insane. Many move to cheaper states when their kids finish high school. The moving vans arrive a few hours after the graduation ceremony.
But I like it here, because I don’t bowl alone. I’m involved in local politics and a running club. I help organize panels around interesting topics. I go to fundraisers. I run local Facebook groups. My town has dozens of organizations and clubs organized around gardening, kids’ sports, genealogy, music, art, religion, and more — plenty of opportunities to meet people and have fun.
Since I grew up in the area and everybody stayed, I’m always busy. We have dinner with the larger family a few times a month. Last week, I drank beers in a dive bar outside of NYU with friends from my first job after college. Friends from high school are texting me about their 60th birthday parties.
We could move somewhere else, but I would miss my people.
Watching and Not Watching
After spending most of the winter watching UK murder shows on Brit Box (Shetland, Murder is Easy), we’re in Montana now with the last season of Yellowstone and Thailand for season three of White Lotus.
We saw the Dylan movie in the theater on Valentine’s Day. A week later, I still have Spotify’s Dylan soundtrack on my headphones when I’m running. The movie was excellent.
Things that I’m not going to watch: Meghan Markle’s Netflix show about her jam empire. Her Instagram post about her company is getting lots of mockery on the Internet.
Cold Weather Running
Sometime in mid-November, I stopped running. Between the icy temps, work, and family obligations, I didn’t make it to the local running trails for my usual 3-mile jog. I promptly gained five pounds, and now I hate myself.
I’m slowly running again, even though the weather is still in the 20s and there are iceburgs along the trail. Cold-weather running isn’t fun for the first ten minutes, but after a while, you get used to it. I still have those extra five pounds, which I suppose are keeping me warm.
Have a great weekend, all. Don’t stress too much, but please pay attention.