AN UNWELL WORLD

🌷I was watching the news earlier this week, and the message was "Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah University, another school shooting in Colorado, a woman is stabbed to death on a Charlotte train, and the Royal Reunion." Two weeks ago, there was a school shooting a mile or so from our house. Being a parent, all these events affect me so much more intensely than "bad news" did in the past. I am now wondering what the world will look like for Evie. What is the world going to look like when she starts school....college....grad school....when she gets married...when she becomes a mom?

I assume all parents have these questions when they have children. I also assume, all parents have the thought "the world is such a scary place now." Is it more scary in 2025 than it was in 1986? In 1986, was it scarier than 1959? The answer is subjective. I will say, having a child makes every event more profound and impactful. Right now, Evie lives in our world, but at some point, she's going to live in the world we all created for her - and right now, that "world" feels pretty scary. Five years ago, the city we lived in was burning to ground and race riots were happening outside our front door. Even that didn't feel as scary as hearing the news this morning.

The world today is completely divided politically, so much so, that it has become commonplace for politicians to be killed by people vehemently disagreeing with them. Today, violet criminals are allowed out of jails and prisons - only to kill, rape, and hurt complete strangers. Today, I wonder not if, but when, the next school shooting will occur. Social media has created unrealistic expectations for everyone, especially children, wondering what is, in fact, reality.  This shit didn't exist in the 90s. 

On the other hand, Evie has better access to female healthcare, education, and professional prospects than she would have in the 90s. She will grow up in a world where she can be totally independent and not dependent upon someone else (aka, a "man".) Evie will have access and exposure to travel and culture that I never did. Evie will be surrounded by unbelievable technology and knowledge.

I'm thinking it's like my therapist keeps telling me, situations can be "both and" and not simply "either or." The world is scarier than it was in the 90s AND it also holds more hope for our Peach.

Speaking of our Peach, she is now sitting up in the morning, in her crib, laughing and clapping well before mom or dad come to pick her up. 🌷