When I was a kid, my mother always called leftover night Potpourri. Why does everything sound nicer in French?
As 2023 departs, here are thoughts I had this year that never ended up being full-blown essays. I’d love to hear your comments, pushback, and stories as they relate!
First, COVID has forever disrupted the construct of time. I don’t ever seem to know what day it is, and I thank the Creator every day for Google calendar, for without it, I would be seriously screwed.
When driving, it is no longer safe to hit the gas when the red light turns green. We used to joke in Pittsburgh that left on a red was a thing. Now it’s a total free-for-all. For years, I’ve said “deputize me and I’ll balance the city budget” because the anarchy is REAL! I see where this is going, and it doesn’t end well.
For decades, it has been my habit to start the year off with positive thoughts. And for the last five or so, when December rolls around, I wonder what the point is. Roller coaster is an understatement. Between health challenges (my own and those of people I care about), inflation, personal finances, politics, deaths of loved ones, and massive change, I need a year at the beach. And a cabana boy with a pineapple filled with rum and topped with an umbrella.
At the same time, I have been on a soap box forever about the fact that dissonance is a skill and one that should be taught in schools so that as adults we can better cope with such strong waves when they occur. I don’t have words to express my appreciation for the people who comprise my village. Without them, I surely would have made different decisions.
I can be a very serious person, bogged down in the minutia of work and responsibilities and forget to have fun. But I don’t ever forget to laugh. Laughing, especially at myself, is what keeps me sane.
Customer service as we know it is a thing of the past. And I don’t like it.
I’m tired of doing other people’s jobs and not getting paid. My mother blames Panera, where you have to collect your food and bus your own table, but I think it started when we were forced to start pumping our own gas. Who knew it would lead to a DIY world – from healthcare to resolving your own internet issues – where you need to be an expert in almost every area of your life? If I wanted to be a doctor, I would have become one.
Plans are a joke. As a neurodivergent person living in a world that wasn’t created for me, one thing I always hung my hat on was the ability to schedule efficiently. I like it when I can tick things off the list in the order in which I arranged them. It makes me feel successful. Well, the joke’s on me. It seems nothing goes according to plan anymore, and my life mantra has become, “We’ll see.” I even made it into a t-shirt to remind me. You can get one too.
For equal pay and respect, I’ll open my own damn door.
Systems are designed to benefit those who create them, not those who use them.
Rules without consequences are suggestions.
It’s super hard to own where you stand when you don’t like the view. But doing just that is the only way to change what you see.
Social media is a house of cards built on the beach. This is why I don’t invest too much energy in it or expect results. Because in a heartbeat, the algorithm can change, and you are out in the dark with no say so.
On the other hand, TikTok in particular, is a wealth of education and information that those who prefer the status quo do not want you to know – about black history, trans injustices, how the government is run. Just for kicks and giggles, take a peek at this video by Rep. Jeff Jackson, NC about what it took for him to get a bill made into law to include adoptive parents and fathers in family leave policies for the National Guard.
It’s been very interesting to watch how advertisers now avidly cater to people of color and older adults. It’s so obvious it’s hilarious and has nothing to do with inclusion. It’s all about the money. Or the potential of it anyway.
We don’t tend to give ourselves enough credit for the amazing things we do and the impact we have on those around us. Changing that changes more than you think.
Sometimes things just don’t work out and you’ll never know why.
I have to remind myself on a regular basis that I am not a project to be completed. A problem to be solved. Or a mystery to be figured out.
No matter how much effort I put in, I am still way too hard on myself.
I also need to remind myself that it is completely unfair to judge the person who made some of the decisions in my past as the person I am today.
The binary will be the downfall of humankind. Not everything can be separated into good or bad, black or white, saint or whore.
If it’s not the binary, it will be euphemisms. Call things what they are.
I cannot control how you feel when I say something, but I can control how I say it.
My life works so much better when I allow things to unfold instead of trying to force them into existence.
Everything is transient – from the darkest spot to the brightest moment.
Enjoy the darkness of winter. Lean into the rest, the hibernation and shorter days as much as you can to prepare for the Spring in a few months.
I wish you joy, fun, health and prosperity in 2024 – however you define that!
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Thank you for being a reader of The Mosaic Platypus this year! Sharing stories, knowing they have the power to spark memories and nurture healing, is part of how I contribute to this world.
The capitalistic strategy of subscription levels - you can see “this” if you pay to subscribe, otherwise you only can read “that” feels icky. I want to share my writing in the most inclusive way possible so all of what I write and every podcast-lette are available to everyone.
That being said, the financial realities of living in this world exist. If you’d like to support what I do, you can purchase a paid subscription to The Mosaic Platypus for only $5/month, Buy Me A Coffee or purchase a copy of The 10-Minute Self-Care Journal. Have a great weekend and a Happy New Year!