Boy, August of 2022 really stunk. And I've spent most of the month telling everyone who would listen just how bad it was.
My father passed away on the very first day of the month. It's not that it was unexpected. We knew it was coming. I was just still very bitter about the manner in which he went out. Considering Dad was such a loyal Christian soldier, dementia is a brutal way to go out, both for him and for the family. My daughter flew home to be with us after the funeral on the 10th. She brought COVID with her and tested positive on the 12th. Then my wife on the 15th, then my other daughter on the 17th. So I knew what was coming next. Despite us isolating as much as possible, I finally tested positive on the morning of the 18th, a couple of hours after I took my oldest to the airport. Thankfully, we're all vaxxed and boosted and none of us really got a bad case. But my cold symptoms have lingered for several weeks. On Monday the 22nd, my wife called me in the afternoon. After her first day back from school she was involved in a car wreck in which both cars were totaled. Ultimately, she was OK but there was bruising and soreness. Our wedding anniversary was on the 24th and we were both too exhausted to do anything. On top of that, we now have to buy a new car - which is something that both of us absolutely HATE. They don't make the model of her old car, so it's not like we can just replace it. Lower on the list, but still a problem was that our air conditioner went out and we had no air for just over a week.
As you can imagine I welcomed September with open arms. But then I watch a few news segments and I'm reminded of how fortunate I am.
No one is trying to take away the decision process of what I do to my body. No one is trying to make laws that forcefully oppress who I am as a person or who I choose to love. I'm not an author, so no one is trying to ban anything I wrote that can help possibly confused kids learn about their place in society (seriously, it's 2022...book banning?). I'm also fortunate enough to have been educated in a way that allows me to think for myself. I know better than to blindly follow former terrible presidents regardless of what illegal things they've done. I have drinking water. My cost for five years of college was less than what we paid for my daughter's freshman year. Odd are, I'm not going to get shot in the back if I run from the police. It's painful to realize that's a thing AND that people deny it's a problem.
So in the grand scheme of things, yes, August is gone and I'm glad. But as depressing as it is to watch or read the news, it does put things in perspective for me.
And for that, I'm thankful.
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