Pandemic Postings: Plentiful, Poignant...Passe' 🙏

97...98...99...and 100! Ever so weary, ever hopeful...

       When I started this blog on May 5th, it was as I indicated then, prompted by many stressors and lifestyle changes people were already weathering associated with this pandemic. Little did you or I know what was yet to come. And here we are exactly a fortnight from Christmas eve, with our collective psyches reflecting both a state of weariness and hope, cumulatively and concurrently as I complete this, my 100th post.

Psyche Up, Out, Up... Reflected in numerous posts, I have utilized this space and a little of your time, to provoke thought and attempt to add value to your and my journey through this tempestuous time. This, partly through offering information and coping strategies that come from our collective experience, much of which you have shared with me through this very time period, others preceding it. I have also engaged in a bit of editorial license in using this challenge as a springboard for discussing other psychological, sociological, and even spiritual topics, some of which may seem quite tangential but I felt worthy of  your attention. 

       As you have undoubtedly noticed, in addition to alliterations, I enjoy utilizing allegorical references as well as parody (we all need a little humor in these times, don't we?). Uh, oh, here comes one, right now: Greek allegory arguably began with personifications in Greek mythology (psychology's full of them, including in many official diagnoses) -- Psyche (Greek: "Soul" or "Breath of Life") was a mortal woman in Greek mythology, the wife of Eros and the mother of Hedone. She is always pictured with butterfly wings (the originator of the 'butterfly effect'?). She figures instrumentally in the story of Cupid and Psyche, which concerns the overcoming of obstacles to their love and their ultimate union. Wow -- love, endurance, drama, can you relate to our times? A more current, more contemporary personification, Psyching Out, can easily be applied to the pandemic, as it refers to having our confidence undermined, being intimidated -- commonly experienced throughout the past several months. Whereas Psyching Up, "increasing one's excitement, confidence, and/or mental preparation", has been about equally represented in interactions I have had with many of you here and there. While universally experienced, there have been vast differences amongst us as to the ebb and flow of these two major forces, explained by a combination of individual makeup, backgrounds, and more recent individual COVID circumstances. 

Plenty O' Posts: Initially, it was evident that I would have plenty of material to write here about. And, on the two or three occasions that I felt it was wearing thin, I experienced a flood of new ideas triggered by news (even before the elections!) and experiences some of you have shared with me. As of this moment, for example, I have about ten pending posts in my 'blog folder', time permitting. My hope like yours is that this blog will come to a graceful end earlier rather than later in 2021, in part because I want to get back to writing two books. Which will be good riddance, pandemic passe' indeed.