I did my Masters in Cultural Psychology, and what that means is: I’m not much fun at parties. Especially when people start talking about ‘culture’ like it’s a set thing and I bust in and explain that: “actually, culture is defined as any process by which we make meaning”. I know. I know. WTF does that mean. (and how do I have any friends).
Happy V-day, my loves!
I love today. I have always loved Valentines’ Day. Much thanks to my mom, dad, BFF Andrea for always making me feel so loved on this day. Because of them, I have always believed V day is for singles, as much as couples.
But I’ll tell you what, single people – more than we need to redeem Valentines’ day – we need to redeem love.
I ended 2020 with Long Covid, a Staph infection on my face (that’s right ladies and gentlemen), and a concussion. (A window fell on my head. That’s not a metaphor. That’s classic 2020.)
What this means is that I started 2021 with extreme fatigue, constant headaches, random fevers, and an attitude that it would be benevolent to label ‘irritable.’
I started the year living in the studio behind my sister’s house. Seemed the perfect way to be cared for: they cooked me meals, gave me space, did my laundry. The one unforeseen complication is that I’m sort of obsessed with my nieces (aged 4 &1). It’s hard to prioritize laying in bed when a glorious little red-head asks you if you will come to her tea party and another glorious little red-head squeals when you accept the invitation.
I’m into the Psalms these days. They’re teaching me how to pray in this broken world.
(I actually hate typing that. They’re not intended to be a lesson on prayer. They weren’t written as a curriculum to instruct us to survive the tension. They’re just us listening in as real people pour out their hearts through poetry. Songs are not always meant to be sermons.)
But I’ve been watching the psalmists sing their songs for some time now, and I’ve noticed this rhythm fills a lot of their prayers:
Maybe this year, more than any other, there is a weight of gratitude in my soul that is so heavy, it feels like it could drag me to the deepest part of the love of Christ.
What a year it has been. In some ways, I feel like I’ve lost an entire year of life.