Things are heavy right now. Author Caroline Myss explained in a recent interview that we often insist we need a reason to feel positive. Lately, it’s sometimes hard to find a reason. Many of my friends are admitting to feeling more negative than usual. I get that.
I had an odd and disturbing realization about my own negativity. I recognized I was using the word “hate” excessively. So, I decided, for the sake of this blog, to record how many times in one day I uttered that word. I gave up after announcing it three times in just one hour. Wow!
I’ve been declaring my hatred of the big things that dominate our lives. “I hate this virus,” I might say. “I hate the racial injustices in our society and the animosity playing out on social media.” Well, of course. Those could go without saying. But I’ve also been declaring my hatred of the little things, too: “I hate this stupid landline. I hate these dull knives. I hate cans that are impossible to open.”
I’ve been heaping hate on myself and others. I’ve been known lately to hate the weather, the road construction, the loud motorcycles that cut off my conversations and ruin my sleep. I’m quick to hate glitches in technology and the constant string of spam calls hitting my cell phone.
I probably hated many of those things before the stress of the past six months, but I…
