Floundering
There are periods in life that open new windows into our souls and into the hearts and minds of people around us. This political era is one of them. We are each being asked to hold the people we are up against the people we strive to be. Am I alone in admitting that I'm failing to rise to my own aspirations? I'm aware that people have long viewed me as being "too much." I leave people exasperated with my intense reactions. I drive myself into bouts of anxiety and depression and angst. I have suffered quite a lot because of my inability to regulate my emotions. And yet, I told myself that in the right place and the right time, my emotional intensity could be valuable. I was passionate. I cared deeply about things. I would stand for justice, even when many others were happy to look away. The world needed people like me. But I don't know if I believe that anymore. It turns out, what the world needs is effective communicators. People who can meet others where they...