This isn’t the only pile of stuff I need to take care of…but it’s the only one I’m willing to publish a picture of.

(Sunday Paper, Year VI, Issue 10)

I think the term ‘double-edged sword’ is meant to indicate a bad thing on top of a good thing.

(A quick look-up shows it means “something that has favorable and unfavorable consequences.”)

But this week I’m going to customize the meaning to two unfavorable things.

Because as I was thinking about it, if that sword is being used to attack me, both of the edges are pretty bad.

(Note to self: Look up why ‘double-edged sword’ means what it does.)

Why am I talking about something with multiple unfavorable consequences?

I’m a little on edge (oh, wow, pun not even intended but how appropriate!) these days.

As you probably know, a lot of places are shifting out of pandemic practices, whether it’s mask mandates or reopening stores and restaurants and other venues that had been shuttered for a long time.

While part of me wants to believe this is an indication we’re on the other side of things….well, the experts are saying to take it easy with all the reopening. (Call me a sucker, but in global pandemics I tend to go with what the experts are saying.)

So the fact that people in charge are trying to rush things….well, that’s got me a little anxious.

And then there’s the idea, which is becoming more real, that we’re closer to the end of the stay-at-home situations than we are to the beginning.

This is, of course, a wonderful thing.

People are being vaccinated, we can get on with our lives, it’s great. (And I will add here again how lucky I have been through this that no one I’m close to has been drastically affected by the pandemic.)

But there’s a part of me that is very anxious about getting back to life.

Allow me to make this comparison: When I was doing open mics it was a lot to get myself motivated for. You sit around for a long time at the venue in order to do a few minutes on stage. To get out the door and get to the place (and find parking, which in some instances is the biggest battle)….that’s a win in and of itself. It’s much more comfortable staying at home.

See where I’m heading with this?

A lot of the pressure of the world has been avoided this past year. So we’ll be getting back to that…but that’s life and I’ll be ready for it when the time comes.

The other part of this, though, is at home. (Triple-edged sword?) I have so much stuff here that I’ve just put off because of the pandemic. There are piles of things (see picture) that I said I’d put away now that I had some uninterrupted time at home. We have a plumbing thing that I keep telling myself we need to have someone look at…but I excuse the fact that we haven’t because it’s a pandemic.

And before long we’ll be back to something resembling normal and there will be lots of responsibilities I’ll no longer be able to put off.

These are minor things to worry about in the face of a global pandemic - I know that.

But I also know that this is the type of thing on varying scales that many people are dealing with.

It’s been a hard time in a lot of ways.

However you cope is however you cope. I believe there’s nothing wrong with that.

For me, maybe it’s choosing to worry over a plumbing issue instead of something so deadly.

I wish we could all have something so little to worry about.

Notes

*I mentioned a few weeks back I was watching ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ for the first time. I’m hoping to be done with it before baseball season so I’ve been doubling up on episodes some days, and I love the show…but there are some days it’s very upsetting. And sometimes it really affects my mood. Since we’re on the subject of me feeling anxious….some days that doesn’t help.

*Also, it’s a real good way to get through this time before baseball starts. Something to look forward to at the end (and sometimes in the middle) of each day.

*Hoo boy is the snow really melting out there. We’re almost all (snow) clear in the yard to get branch-clearing and other winter debris-clearing done.

*I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures this week. I was NOT ready for the sudden drop this week. I was all set to put away the heavier jacket and go back to the layers with a sweatshirt but I think I need to push that thinking back a week or two.

*Here’s where you can follow me on Twitter, if you’re so inclined. And if you don’t already, I’d appreciate it if you gave the Facebook page a Like, too!

*I do appreciate everyone who reads this and gets this far each week. Thank you.

*New Matt Sucich music came out this week, and the album itself is out later this month. Check out his website for all the details.