Just as Fridays were always good, Mondays never were, especially if it meant reporting to work. In retirement, they’re not so bad, just like when they were part of a three-day weekend. I’ve got it all – a comfortable lifestyle, a great marriage, grand-kids, Social Security, a pension, and good health. So, why am I so angry? Well, I’m missing my family & friends, gaining weight, losing my savings, worried about catching the virus, canceling travel plans, watching bad T.V., and not going to the theater. Shall I continue to count the ways? Sadly, the most exciting thing on today’s agenda is a new episode of Outlander, a program that has long lost it’s initial viewing interest. 

I told my wife that I was feeling depressed, thinking there might get some sympathy. Instead, she asked what I was angry about and began to get philosophical. “Depression is Anger Inverted,” she explained. “Just uncover what you’re angry about and get over it,” was her solution. “I don’t care – it just doesn’t feel good,” was how I wanted to respond. However, she is facing the exact same difficult issues that I am, but somehow manages to stay positive. OK…I’ve now publicly confessed my anger issues, and just waiting until it all melts away. Who needs a therapist when you live with Sigmund Freud?

I spent Easter Sunday doing a puzzle and genealogy research, while trying to watch Below Deck on Bravo. Not my cup of tea, or maybe I’m just bored with watching TV in general?  I also took to the time to make another payment on my Marriott Vacation Club timeshare, bemoaning that even though I wasn’t traveling, I was still paying the fare. This too, made me angry, but not as much as when I  accidentally deleted everything that I had written to this point. Now I’m starting over, and back to lamenting about Marriott trips to San Francisco and Bali that will have to be rescheduled. Just get over it! Next, I find out there will likely be a meat shortage but plenty of toilet paper. “Try to balance the good with the bad,” my wife would say. 

I saw a sign posted on a house yesterday. We were out for a walk in the sunshine and had just admired four of the five area mountain peaks in the distance. “April distance brings May existence.” I guess it’s just a matter of surviving until this eventually passes. Write about the anger, but maintain your sense of humor. We can only hope that Monday leads to Tuesday, another day of life. There’s lots of beauty surrounding us, even in isolation. It’s not like the circumstances faced by someone like Anne Frank, whose story was part of last year’s  adventure to her hiding spot in Amsterdam. We will all travel again soon and the enjoyment of retirement will return. If depression is anger inverted, then it needs to be deserted.