Then the shit started. I was miserable all the time. The last thing I needed was a 24-hour news cycle. I stopped watching the news. I stopped reading more than the headlines. I discovered I still knew what I really needed to know ~ a lot can be addressed in a headline ~ and was less miserable. Victory!
Since the last presidential election, though, I have gone back to being a newsy. The campaign was historical, pivotal, even. And the politics that have occurred since then, important. Only I'm grumpy again. And I don't much care for being grumpy.
Honestly, I don't think I can disconnect as completely as I did during and after my divorce. I'm just not a only-read-the-headlines type o'gal. I really do want to know more about what's happening than can be summed up in an average headline. At the same time, perhaps some moderation is in order.
Yep, I can live with that.
Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.
Addendum, not even an hour later: Or maybe I'll just stay grumpy.
4 comments:
I try to remind myself that if I can't do anything about it and/or it doesn't affect anyone I know, it's not worth my getting *too* bent out of shape over. I try to remember that bad things have always happened; we just get to learn about them very quickly now in 21st-century America. I know things even out, and I and mine will be in the news soon enough. In fact, my best friend likes to sign her e-mails, "Stay out of the news!"
Of course, sometimes I just get grumpy, or sad, or scared, or downright angry.
I don't mind being grumpy, so long as I can ventilate, including emails to the White House and various legislative representatives. And in recent years, I find myself scanning headlines in five off shore newspapers and then reading what may be of interest. European and Middle East press often times has better insight into North American politics and events than do my local media outlets. And some bloggers too...
But the news sucks. You can't believe any of it. You can't buy the conspiracy theories either. No one can give you more than a one minute summary of any particular event. And so much is just left out for the sake of brevity. Someone has to decide what to leave out and, unfortunately, what's usually left out is all the imprtant international stuff.
Can't blame 'em. The newsies do what they can given our collective lack of attention span and the necessary evil of making room for advertising. But, really, how can any of us posibbly really know what's going on?
So just argue with everything. So much easier.
Watching the news is a sure fire way of getting stressed out. Though I know it is important to know what is happening across the world- sometimes I just limited myself.
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