Overdrawn at the Psychic Bank Account
This year has been emotionally costly; can we reinvest?
To begin with, let me say I have been lucky, lucky, lucky during the pandemic. I’ve been able to work with almost no disruption. I’ve been healthy, and my family has been healthy. Now we’re vaccinated. Most of the people we know have made it through this year in pretty good shape, which is, of course, a miracle not enjoyed by lots of other people. So relatively speaking, we are very fortunate.
That said, this year has sucked. I’m only beginning to realize some of the ways it has sucked, now that things are loosening ever so slightly. Last week, for the first time in a year, I had friends over for dinner twice. Twice!! In olden days, I had friends over all the time; a week with two social engagements was completely usual. This year, not so much. I did see friends, occasionally, outside, masked, anxiously, gingerly, but never too many in too short a time, never bare-faced, never without a light pall of anxiety hanging over us. After the two dinners last week, shared with other vaccinated friends, I felt… exhilarated. We talked! We laughed! We traded funny stories! I ended those evenings feeling fuller than when they started.
That’s when it hit me. This year has been a constant state of withdrawal. We have withdrawn from all the things that…
