Natural Art

Natural Art
Sandstone rock wall in Petra, Jordan

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Nothing's wrong and nothing's right

So I've been in the Tri-Cities now for 6 months and the other night I realized how much I miss Pullman. There is nothing wrong with where I'm at now, but there's nothing right either. There were a lot of things right about Pullman. I've been working hard to make TC work, but I suppose some things just take time. I wonder if I'll ever come to feel about TC like I feel about Pullman.

So how does one go about trying to embrace their life and circumstances as they are at the moment? I say that I'm trying hard, but what does that really mean? It means I'm putting myself in uncomfortable situations (i.e. being sociable and as outgoing as possible for me); I've introduced myself to the academic community here, even taken jobs that aren't a perfect fit for me; I have gotten my kids involved in activities outside of school and am supporting them in those; I'm experimenting with different anti-depressants, trying to find one that works; I've joined a book group and am involved in church; why do I still feel out of sync? Maybe it really is just a matter of time. Maybe I just need to "fake it 'til I make it." Can you lie to yourself successfully enough that you ultimately believe the lie, thus making it truth? I think one can do so, to an extent; but I also think that depression can stem from lying to ourselves. Hmm, it's complicated.

If something isn't wrong, but it also isn't right, then what is it? And is there anything you can do to make a non-wrong a right? What more can I do to make TC work for me? I don't know how much of my depression really comes from the move. Things definitely got worse for me, emotionally, when we decided to accept the job here in TC. It's almost been a year now. That's a long time to be depressed. I'm ready for a change but have now idea how to go about it. I don't know what more to do. Well, I suppose that's enough wallowing for now. Patience is a virtue.

1 comment:

Jess said...

Guess we are pretty much in the same boat...It's just so hard to stop missing something that was so comfortable. Kudos to you though for trying so hard to make it work! I'm not even trying...well I am according to my latest blog post :) Funny that we both mention patience as a virtue...it truly is!