Misery, darkness, complaints, angst, fear, skepticism, sadness, and others that circle around to the same notion : life is nothing but a deep hole that we cannot escape. Whatever has made us happy to be unhappy ?

There are problems———and there are problems. We would be remiss if we were pollyannas, always believing that nothing can go wrong, that all is always well, that things will work out forever. That position would put us in a vacuum, protected from the reality of pitfalls and obstacles and , therefore, harmful.

But somehow the combination of hostile political partisanship and the pandemic has created an environment of doom and gloom, a culture of only being happy when we’re unhappy. And social media has promoted this big time !

I see it over and over again. Words from just anybody, anywhere, giving a long sad story about problems. Words from politicians shifting blame from one party to the other, with no reaching out for compromise. Words from televangelists saying we’re all going to hell. Words from everyday people bemoaning everything from vaccinations, gas prices, toilet paper scarcity, guns or no guns, government, religions, and whatever the menu of the day brings to mind !

Do we truly want to be happy only when we’re unhappy ?

My take : it’s a beautiful day in the woods in Lavonia. Temperature is 82. Slight breeze blowing. Sun shining. Gracie is sleeping. Food in the fridge. Clean clothes in the closet. Peaches on the counter. Byron in his ” cave “.  Bridge game in the making. Uplifting church meeting last night. Sacred Heart serving our sick. Growing old with my high school sweetheart.  Song birds and hummers entertaining at the feeders. New John Sanford thriller and a Charles Martin beside the bed. Young adult grand , texting a love message last night , “just because”.  A doctor who cares.   Two vets who care.  Doggie day care. Family and friends who are always close and caring when needed, and others ,  many others ,  too numerous to mention.

BLESSINGS EVERYWHERE……………………

Happy being unhappy ?  Not me !  Not me !