How Baby

A few weeks ago, I’d halfway made the resolution to myself to not bang on too much about how stressful it is to parent while the world is troubled, because if I did that, literally every single comic would be about that. I’d find the jokes, I thought; I’d keep the light on for people who needed to take a break from all the dark news.

Like I mentioned last week, finding little scraps of levity has been hard, and it hasn’t gotten easier. Our family is isolating – as is yours, I hope – and while things are fine, it doesn’t provide a lot of stimulus to think about other things. An extrovert and a planner, I get listless and sour when there’s nothing to look forward to. There’ve been bad days, and, there’ve been good ones too; depressed and strangely peaceful in turns, and I see the same cycle play out across my social circles, too.

But, when I’ve reached out at my lowest, when I’ve confessed that I’m being crunched under the bottom of the wheel – when I’ve struggled to create, or even to speak – people at the top have reached out to me. And, the next day, it’s my turn to lift them. If nothing else, these bonds of compassion and empathy… have been the real light. We are, each of us, a small light left on for someone else. That thought has given me strength.

Thank you, again, to everyone who’s reached out over the past few days, to talk, or play a game, or even just to say a kind word in passing. I wish you strength when you need it, and patience. Let’s keep the lights on.