So this great post is making its way around Facebook and lots of folks are reading it, but none of us know who actually wrote it. Entitled “Dear Diary,” the post really makes you think — and it also makes you kind of feel better, knowing you’re not alone. See for yourself…
Dear Diary 2020 Edition,
In January, Australia caught on fire. I don’t even know if that fire was put out, because we straight up almost went to war with Iran. We might actually still be almost at war with them. I don’t know, because Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt spoke to one another at an awards show and everyone flipped the f— out, but then there was thing happening in China, then Prince Harry and Megan peaced out of the Royal family, and there was the whole impeachment trial, and then corona virus showed up in the US “officially,” but then Kobe died and UK peaced out of the European Union.
In February, Iowa crapped itself with the caucus results and the president was acquitted and the Speaker of the House took ten years to rip up a speech, but then WHO decided to give this virus a name COVID-19, which confused some really important people in charge of, like, our lives, into thinking there were 18 other versions before it, but then Harvey Weinstein was found guilty, and Americans started asking if Corona beer was safe to drink, and everyone on Facebook became a doctor who just knew the flu like killed way more people than COVID 1 through 18.
In March, s*it hit the fan. Warren dropped out of the presidential race and Sanders was like Bernie or bust, but then Italy shut its whole ass down, and then COVID Not 1 through 18 officially become what everyone already realized, a pandemic and then a nationwide state of emergency was declared in US, but it didn’t really change anything, so everyone was confused or thought it was still just a flu, but then COVID Not 18 was like ya’ll not taking me seriously? I’m gonna infect the one celebrity everyone loves and totally infected Tom Hanks, but then the DOW took a s*it on itself, and most of us still don’t understand why the stock market is so important or even a thing (I still don’t), but then we were all introduced to Tiger King. (Carol totally killed her husband), and Netflix was like you’re welcome, and we all realized there was no way we were washing our hands enough in the first place because all of our hands are now dry and gross.
In April, Bernie finally busted himself out of the presidential race, but then NYC became the set of The Walking Dead and we learned that no one has face masks, ventilators, or toilet paper, or THE FREAKING SWIFFER WET JET LIQUID, but then Kim Jong-Un died, but then he came back to life… or did he? Who knows, because then the Pentagon released videos of UFOs and nobody cared, and we were like man, it’s only April….
In May, the biblical end times kicked off historical locust swarms and then we learned of murder hornets and realized that 2020 was the start of the Hunger Games but people forgot to let us know, but then people legit protested lockdown measures with AR-15s, and then sports events were cancelled everywhere. But then people all over America finally reached a breaking point with race issues and violence. There were protests in every city, but then people forgot about the pandemic called COVID Not One Through 18. Media struggled with how to focus on two important things at once, but then people in general struggle to focus on more than one important thing, and a dead whale was found in the middle of the Amazon rain forest after monkeys stole COVID 1 Through 19 from a lab and ran off with them, and either in May or April (no one is keeping track of time now) that a giant asteroid narrowly missed Earth.
In June, science and common sense just got thrown straight out the window and somehow wearing masks became a political thing, but then a whole lot of people realized the south was actually the most unpatriotic thing ever and actually lost the civil war, and there are a large amount of people who feel that statues they don’t even know the name of are needed for … history reasons….. but then everyone sort of remembered there was a pandemic, but then decided that not wearing a mask was somehow a God given right (still haven’t found that part in the bible or even in the constitution), but then scientists announced they found a mysterious undiscovered mass at the center of the earth, and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH IT, but then everyone took a pause to realize that people actually believed Gone With The Wind was like non-fiction, but then it was also announced that there is a strange radio single coming from somewhere in the universe that repeats itself every so many days, and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT, but then America reopened from the shut down that actually wasn’t even a shut down, and so far, things have gone spectacularly not that great, but everyone is on Facebook arguing that masks kill because no one knows how breathing works, but then Florida was like hold my beer and let me show you how we’re number one in all things, including new Not Corona Beer Corona Virus. Trump decides now is a good time to ask the Supreme Court to shut down Obama Care because what better time to do so than in the middle of a pandemic, but then we learned there was a massive dust cloud coming straight at us from the Sahara Desert, which is totally normal, but this is 2020, so the ghost mummy thing is most likely in that dust cloud, but then I learned of meth-gators, and I’m like that is so not on my f-ing 2020 Bingo card, but then we learned that the Congo’s worse ever Ebola outbreak is over, and we were all like, there was an Ebola outbreak that was the worse ever?
In July…. Aliens? Zeus? Asteroids? Artificial Intelligence becomes self aware?
Thanks to whoever started this for the copy and paste.
I have no idea who wrote this; and damn it, I want to know. Also, why didn’t I know about the whale in the Amazon?
The author of this “diary” entry really has a way with words! I’ll refer to the author as “she,” even though no one seems to know if it was a man or woman who authored it. Does it even matter? No, because she nailed it. This year has been a complete cosmic kick in our backside. Humanity has been wrung through the wringer on what seems like an endless repeat cycle. To millions of people around the world, our times seem surreal — can this all really be happening? When will this nightmare end? These are the questions we’re all asking. Its great to ask the questions, but does anyone have the answers?
Yes and No
Lots of folks think they have the answer and just as many say they don’t. Somewhere in the middle, is the truth. In my opinion, the reality is, lots of folks just don’t like the answer, so they ignore it and continue to stress and search for something they already know…people need to just stop. Stop hating. Stop yelling. Stop arguing. Stop stirring the pot. People – and that means all of us – simply need to just let go of the toxic and deadly emotions: anger, hatred, envy, fear, condemnation and low self-esteem, to name the biggies. These are the feelings and thoughts that threaten our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. They are destructive negative forces that chip away at happiness and contentment — they also happen to be the very root cause of wars, crime, addiction and every other bad event plaguing our world.
Getting Rid of These Deadly Emotions
There are many effective methods to rid oursleves of these negative emotions and while some are based upon psychological factors, others are based on faith. In my opinion, the melding of psychology with faith is sometimes the better route to take.
Choice
We humans tend to forget that everything we do is a choice. When we react in anger, we are choosing to do so. If we hate our brothers and sisters because of their race, religion of sexual orientation, we are choosing to do so. When we let politicians manipulate us by turning us against one another, we’re choosing to let them do that.
How to Make the Right Choice
The right choice…well, that sure is a tough one. What is the right choice? That’s a question they’ve been asking since time began on this rock. The right choice is ultimately, the good choice — the one that is centered on love, peace, understanding, fairness, compassion. The right choice, is always the one that helps, uplifts, strengthens and improves. To get there, its necessary that we be mindful of our thinking and our reactions and then, mindful of how to make the right choice in that thinking and action.
“Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn
“The way to happiness: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.” ― Norman Vincent Peale
I think a good way to describe it is as “healthy thinking.” If we approach life and people with a mindset of caring, gratitude and compassion, we are putting out positive vibes. We’re consciously shedding the bad and striving to be good people who do unto others as we would like done unto us. That place of love and compassion is the strongest base we can stand upon — its the base that lasts the longest. We may not be able to control events, but we can shape them. The opportunity is before us right now: We can choose to be kind. We can choose to be helpful. We can choose to be calm, sensible and fair-minded. Right now, each and every one of us has the choice to either make matters worse, or make them better…which do you choose?
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” ― James 2:14-17
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” ― Galatians 5:19-26
“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” ― Proverbs 10:12