Slalom Seaweed

As I slalom through the first worldwide pandemic in the last 100 years I need to remember that I have a program to help me manage the chaotic situation.  I also have a lot of years practicing solution-based living.  You know - trying to find the good in everything.  It's there.  I just can't always find it or don't recognize it when I see it or, mostly, can't be bothered to pry myself out of The Problem because apparently I really, really like being mired in the negative.  It's comfortable.  It's familiar.

I find myself annoyed at people who are bitching about everything right now.  Man, there are some unhappy people out there, some dissatisfied people.  I feel like I'm trying to talk to a spoiled teenager who's bored and in a bad mood and completely resistant to anything I have to say.  I've gotten in a couple of arguments when I try to steer the conversation to something more positive.  Yes, I get it - this is a pain in the ass.  I'm not getting to do exactly what I want to do exactly when I want to do it and this is terribly, horribly unfair to me, Stevie Seaweed.  I also know that my railing against a set of circumstances that I don't like and that are out of my control isn't going to change anything, except for my mood.  I tend to do this more than is good for me and it's no wonder - I've a long history of resentments based on the fact that I'm not getting my way.

My tendency is to assume that there are some unhappy people out there but I'm also trying to remember that this is a lot more stressful for some of us than for others.  I haven't lost a job; I'm not living on the edge financially; I'm not treading around kids or a spouse who is suddenly stuck at home with nothing to do.  My life has been affected in ways that I regret but I'm going to get through it.  I've actually written down possible scenarios for three months, six months, and nine months in the future, imagining how things might shake out if the situation doesn't change appreciably in those time frames.