NO.
No, you won’t. You won’t be “glad,” and this won’t be “over.”
I’ll tell you why my friend, so have a seat & pour yourself a seductively aromatic, hot as hell cup of fresh-ground Colombian from my trusty carafe and listen-in to what I have to say for a little while…

Or go back to scrolling. You may find the answer you’re searching for in the next TicTok or meme that pops up on your feed.
 
The pressure you’re feeling, the pressure we’re all feeling today, these are no different than yesterday’s. You may believe your despondency has been caused by all that happens around us in the current moment,* but I assure you, it has not.

NO.
Nope, that’s not it.
Here’s why.
You won't be “glad when it's over” because you haven't been “glad,” and I mean Truly Happy, about anything in so long you forgot how to tell the difference. The difference between the distinct, continuous peace and happiness that comes from a purposeful, meaningful life well-lived, and the alternative of a quick and easy temporary relief. A fleeting reprieve from the day-to-day pressures we are all now facing seems as legit as anything in the bottom of a crack pipe or a gin bottle to the addict who covets it, loosely based on the last time he or she was transported “away from it all” using that same substance.

No.
Nope, that’s not it.
“Glad when this is over” is your admission to an inability to deal with the present, the now, and the fact that what we are all experiencing at this very moment in our lives is truly worth experiencing. Again, for those in the back: these experiences we're all grinding on through are WORTH EXPERIENCING! Positive or negative, good or bad, our influences and experiences build our knowledge, our beliefs, our values and our convictions. To say that you wish to skip over times like these is an admission to skipping over the building of those foundational cornerstones that make each one of our life experiences unique. You are relinquishing the beauty, joy and yes, the PAIN too. The “feels” of learning are what you wish to push to another time, when it’s “easier” or perhaps to a time and place where a softer, gentler way is discovered to move through this life we are all living.

So no, NO, I cannot agree that you (think you) will be “glad when it’s over.” I have admonished myself to this fact, perhaps you could entertain that thought too, if you’re so persuaded by my muse…

Only when you can be in touch enough, nay, in constant contact with your innermost feelings of pain, love, loss, disagreement, unfairness and utter chaos can you be “glad.”
 
  
“Glad when this is over” is the idea that rather than deal with the pressures, changes, chaos (that word can be fruitful, if you can embrace it fully and with aplomb) and utter unpredictability of what’s happening NOW, you are electing to “sit it out.” YOU are choosing inaction over action, passive to active, lifelessness over LIVING. For all of the businesses, people and even all of the IDEAS that chose to shut down and withdraw when our world started rapidly changing in March of 2020, you have made the decision to stand by and “let it all happen” as the very concepts, values and ideals that you were raised with come into question.

So no, NO, DON’T "look for it to be over,” as you’ll be looking into a broken mirror, don’t you see? Distorted, fragmented and full of more missing pieces than found ones...

Learn instead to dance in the rain, rather than search in vain for an overpriced umbrella from store-after-store of locked doors and empty promises.
"Glad when this is over" means you're dead. Physically, spiritually, mentally, completely, dead. 6 feet under. Lights out. End of story. IDK about you, but I’ll continue to be HAPPY that I’m ALIVE.

I’ll not be “glad when it’s over,” because I’m GLAD right here, right now. GLAD that I get to experience it; this beautiful, ugly, invigorating and exhausting life we’re all given the gift of and the chance to LIVE.

IF we choose to.

Now I ask you, what's YOUR choice?
 
*From the 3rd paragraph, including but not limited to: A national and global pandemic, including the myriad of tributaries it has entwined; our countries’ raging power struggle; upcoming elections; <which today uniquely include anger, hopelessness and sorrow towards those close to you that predict/produce/possess a different outlook or value system that seems all-too-touchy to talk about> obscure external triggers including social media and news from every source that seems more frequent and amplified; the stock market; the job market; the economy; racism, Civil Rights, the weather getting colder, the weather getting hotter, all that and more, brought to you by our sponsor: Today’s American Pop Culture.

People, including you and I, will hold steadfast to what they believe.

Let's all take a moment to pause as we look a little deeper. There is a heightened sense of anxiety and fear we are all living in, whether you choose to admit it or not. While I freely admit this new fear is present around and even within me, I will also commit steadfast to my increasing faith and conscious contact with my Higher Power that this fear only has as much energy as I choose to allow it.

The truth in any particular subject (Evolution, Deep State theories, Democrats vs Republicans, climate change, what color the scoop of ice cream popping out of the top of your cone is...you name it, you get it) is a compilation of a person's perception, comprehension, upbringing, experiences, exposure, their develop(ing) beliefs and values, and life events. These factors and more build their (our) perception/opinion of what is real and what is fiction. Is it universal, or should we look at it more through the lens of flexible interpretation?  Put another way: what is truth and what is a lie? Sounds more dramatic & so much more damning putting it that way, doesn't it?

I came to know a man who informed and vividly shaped my concept of this over 20 years ago. Many, perhaps even most of the things he said and truly believed were actually falsehoods. Not merely concepts, but situations and events that clearly happened one way. Black & white, open & shut case, done deal. This man would profess with vehement conviction that it was indeed not to be. His reality was so askew that it was in direct conflict with what was happening before the eyes of those surrounding him, witnessing the same scene. Simply put, it was in direct conflict before the eyes of anyone else. Quite literally, his beliefs and proclamation of those beliefs were 180 degrees from reality, yet he believed it, TRULY believed it, with all his heart. This concept led me to recall a thief's fable (yeah I just named it that) being:

"If you believe in ANYthing fervently enough, even a complete and utter lie, it becomes YOUR truth. No evidence is needed, none whatsoever, only your belief. This was the concept that repeated itself around me so often with this person (at the time a character in my lifes' story) that it became a regular occurrence. So now that I know (years later) and to a point have come to (begrudgingly) accept this, I have come to see it happen with others over the years with more frequency. I look more closely for it, and it appears.

These people (let's not forget this includes you and I, natch), will cling to the concept of reality and the false truth that they themselves fabricated. This is no fault of their (our) own. This is how they are. THEIR (our) history, THEIR (our) experiences, THEIR (our) journey, up until this very moment. My (our) job, as a friend, as an acquaintance, family member, as a fellow empathetic and compassionate human...is to acknowledge it, then either engage, or "let that shit go." Forget fb posts and messages, LawdKnows we've had enough debates on there since it's inception, let alone since March of 2020. Even a face to face debate or a phone conversation will almost always prove fruitless. To try to dig into why that person believes what they do (especially in direct proportion to how their beliefs differ from ours) is psychological suicide. Why try to look for diamonds in a coal mine? Let that shit go. Many times I've caught them in their lie. Equally as many times that persons' reality has remained unchanged; so why bother? Gather all the facts you want, present them as evidence. It will change nothing in them, in their opinion nor in their perception.

What about my (OUR) children? Well, maybe there is a chance with some. Maybe not. Mine, I will try because it is my job as their father to help them identify and understand the truth. They will in turn develop their own truths, hopefully being as close to the unfiltered reality as possible. Does MY truth not have it's origins in reality and fact, just like any rational human I call my brother, my friend? If you think that's a trick question, you're right. Touché.

The fear, angst, and guilt that has mounted over the trauma of a mother whose son was stricken with autism after being given a vaccination is without comprehension to me. It is this guilt, fear, anger, and ~100 other emotions that drive this mother to believe in what she believes in, to do what she does. Informing others of her truth (which she, rightfully, believes to be THE universal truth) has become one of her life's missions. I must respect her for it, applaud her efforts, and acknowledge that her path is different than mine, leading her to believe the way she does. If it moves me to action, or to some form of active empathy, I will lead with my heart. If, however, her truth does not match mine, well...then I must let that shit go.

I do hope this essay has offered some perspective, and perhaps with it the ability to grow, heal and move forward with more peace and grace in each of our own lives.
​
Namaste.