Shadow: My rewrites seem to be going well. Why do you seem sad today?
Me: Guess I’m sympathizing with the Chiefs’ defense this morning. I was pulling for the Eagles in yesterday’s Super Bowl, but the slaughter was still hard to watch. And it reminded me of something one of my partners said recently about how I’m being unfair to myself by personally feeling like a failure for the turn national politics have taken. Even though I did my part by voting and trying to educate others, evil won in November and now I have to watch people I love come under a stream of undeserved attacks from the highest level of my government. But it was never within my ability to defeat nationwide ignorance, apathy, and hate.
Shadow: Whereas the Kansas City defense was sitting on the bench while their offense committed repeated turnovers and poorly timed fouls, but probably left the field beating themselves up over the times they let the ball past their line. They didn’t do that bad a job overall, but they lost anyway. Yes, I see the connection. But I think maybe rather than dwelling on it, you should finish this chapter we’re in the middle of.
Me: Yeah, probably. But this scene’s a little depressing, isn’t it?
Shadow: According my outline, the characters get good news.
Me: Yes, but they also go to a health clinic. That being something everyone in their country gets to do and something fewer and fewer in mine have the “privilege” of.
Shadow: I thought the point of setting me and my siblings in this society was to inspire people with what could be. Not make you cry over what isn’t.
Me: It is. I’m just having a rough morning.
Shadow: You and the Kansas City Chiefs, I imagine.
Me: But at least I have novels to throw myself into.
