And is that just the price of modern (specifically American) life in the 2020s?

I just read an interesting and heartbreaking article by a man living through unimaginable times. As his situation grew increasingly precarious, he told himself small lies to keep going, to keep pretending everything would be ok again soon. That normalcy was still possible. I started looking at my life and wondering how much we lie to ourselves to protect that fragile feeling of normalcy.

We tell ourselves: one more week of overwork, one more rough patch, and then we’ll make a change, figure it out, go back to normal. But “normal” was just what we were used to – not some inevitable default. It will look different in the future. And let’s be honest: was the normal state of life working for you? Or are you exhausted, in debt, afraid of what might happen if you take a vacation? If you aren’t enjoying your one wild, precious life, then – could you be? If you knew your basic needs would be covered, allowing you to search for a job that you enjoyed, would that make a difference? If so, the status quo might not have been working for you, and you have no obligation to defend it.

If you find ways you’re lying to yourself to protect the status quo, try looking at the scary truth instead. If you can face it you can move forward through it, or at least you can try. My other thought is, life is short and uncertain. If you can make room for joy, why not? If your life right now isn’t serving you, isn’t relevant to your joy, is change the worst thing that could happen?