Hey,
It’s been a little quiet over here at BADIHAF nation. I apologize for that. It’s due to a variety of reasons. Mostly, end-of-summer insanity, prepping for the schoolyear insanity, trying to maintain a career which has absolutely no guidelines for success or barriers to protect me from failure, trying to be a good husband and— if this newsletter wasn’t an indicator—father.
But it’s also been quiet because I’m in as dark a place as I’ve been since my mother died 13 years ago. Because the world is on fire and it’s only burning more. Because we’re at the mercy of an administration that is getting more authoritarian by the day (soon, we’ll be swapping out “regime” for “administration”). Because I’m honestly considering whether or not my daughter’s right to fucking vote will be infringed upon at some point in the near future. Because her right to make decisions about her own body already is. Because I woke up to the news of yet another fucking school shooting, another stack of the bullet-riddled bodies of kids.
I’m sick. I’m sick because we’re sick.
I fucking hate it here and, for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, I’m struggling to put my thoughts into words. Sure, it’s a lot of end-of-summer madness. But mostly it’s anger, fear, and despair.
Still, I figured I owed you something, since it has been a while. Here you go. Click this link right here to read a story from another time in my life as a father when I felt almost completely helpless, if not quite as hopeless. Coincidentally (not really), it came on the heels of a different school shooting.
Thoughts and prayers. Thoughts and prayers.
I feel this all so hard. This is how I felt this summer. Only feeling better due to extensive time away and stopping reading the news almost entirely. Hang in there.
I mean, being a dad IS hard as f*ck. no joke. Especially in today's age.