Living the Dream

Okay, before we start, let’s talk about the point of this blog post. It isn’t meant to be a post complaining, whining, or seeking sympathy. I’m going to take some time to express the emotional experience of going into the holidays this season because writing things down allows me to work through them, and because maybe other people might have insights or relevant experiences that they can share around this topic. Take it or leave it. So, that said, here goes.

Our church has a tradition I never really understood before: the Longest Night service. Held on the longest night of the year, it’s an opportunity to mourn and acknowledge the pain around holidays. I intellectually got it, that people might have lost loved ones and find the holidays a hard time. Sure, good idea, let people feel sad. Continue Reading >>

Have I mentioned the concept of social lubricating lies here yet? According to the scholarly article “Lying as norm in social interactions”: “One prevalent reason lying is a norm in North American society is because politeness is generally an upheld value. Thus, people are even encouraged to lie in certain situations in order to protect others’ feelings and to be polite.”

As the New York Times puts it, “To most people, the minor lies we sprinkle in our daily conversations are a confection, a social lubricant, not a poison. What a nice dress! What a swell haircut!” Continue Reading >>