One Thing or Another: Are We There Yet?

By Mark McNease

It’s always One Thing or Another… a lighthearted look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all.

This column was always intended to be lighthearted, even in its most serious moments. Sure, I look at aging, life, and the absurdities of it all. I even ponder death now and then, since it’s pretty much the end point for all of us. Where we go after that, if we go anywhere, is not something I spend much time thinking or worrying about. I have appropriate clothes for any destination,  or none at all, in case it’s especially hot.

But 2020 was so difficult, so groundbreaking, like a sledgehammer outside my bedroom window, that it stands unique among the years of my life. And now, two weeks into a new year, it’s still here! The same election we would normally have moved beyond by now, accepting it as part of the political bargain we make for living in a country where people are allowed to vote, keeps hold of us as if to prevent our escape. The frustrations of lockdowns and limited interactions and one-way grocery store aisles and the politicization of absolutely everything has us frayed within an inch of insanity. And that’s just Tuesday!

Most of us are still wearing face masks to limit the spread of a virus that doesn’t care about our social status or party affiliation. We’re waiting for vaccinations that seem to be coming next week, or maybe the next one or the one after that. We’re trying to experience that sense of renewal each January usually brings, but it all feels more like a hangover. A really bad, crappy, never to be repeated, hangover. I’ve had a few in my life (okay, a lot, but I’m saving that sorry tale for my autobiography).

I keep thinking we’ll turn the corner tomorrow. We’ll be able to relax tomorrow. We’ll finally see each other’s smiles again and enjoy the expressions on people’s faces … tomorrow. But as someone once pointed out, tomorrow never happens, it’s all the same day. This one just feels particularly, depressingly, long. And that’s about as lighthearted as I can be. Check back with me next month.

Mark McNease is the author of ten novels, two short story collections and six produced plays. He was the co-creator of the Emmy and Telly winning children’s program Into the Outdoors. He currently lives in rural New Jersey with his husband and two cats. He can be found most days at MarkMcNease.com