Monday, April 5, 2021

D: Depression, Debit, Driving, Dystopia, Dumpster Fire

 

#AtoZChallenge 2021 April Blogging from A to Z Challenge letter D


Depression, Debit, Driving, Dystopia, Dumpster Fire

This past year was hard on many people's mental health, especially those like me who already suffer depression (Dysthymia, also called Persistent Depressive Disorder) and anxiety. Needless to say, it was easier to get depressed as days went by and we were forced to be at home. Two months without seeing others from the mental health center just added to it all. As well as the dreariness caused by the pandemic and in some cases the weather. It was hard to tell which was more depressing, as everything just seemed to blur together each day. Just as in any other time, I did what I felt to combat depression. This included driving.

Getting out of the house was nearly impossible, save sitting outside, which means you're still at home. Other than places you had to be like the stores, you were basically stuck at home. But just driving around town without going anywhere was  something I did just to be away for a while. Having gotten a new car in December 2019, this was the only way to kept it from just sitting in the yard. Before the pandemic hit, I had hoped to get used to driving farther than just my own town, but this did not happen until January 2021 when I took a drive to nearby Gilroy to see the new Big Lots store. I made this drive again in mid-March. 

There was not much to see while driving, since most places were closed and most people were at home or at work, with a few out walking or biking. But it was the way only to get out of the house while avoiding crowds.  One place I drove to a lot was the drive-thru at fast food restaurants, the subject of another post to come.



Everyone no doubt saw these signs everywhere, whether it was at stores or at restaurant drive-thrus. This led to an increased use of debit cards. I already use my food stamps card regularly, and once I filed for unemployment, I got their debit card. I will be discussing more on money handling later, but for now I was using debit cards more often than cash, worried that stores or restaurants would in fact be short on coins. The coin shortage seems to be less of a problem now, but the habit of using debit still remains. But I haven't gone cashless at all. Often, I'll try to get exact change if I can, though that doesn't seem to be necessary now. I've seen fewer of these signs lately, so coins must be easier to find now.


Reading dystopia is nothing new for me, but it was beginning to feel like we were really in a dystopian world this past year. I was almost scared to read The Stand. But I needed to read a Stephen King novel and a book over 1000 pages and with the library closed in late March, I chose this one since it was already at home. I'd heard about Wilder Girls and wanted to read it so I got it from Amazon. Another reading prompt I had last year was about a pandemic or outbreak, and another book already at home was The Passage. So I read that one.



And in a post last year, I wondered if dystopian tales based on the events of 2020 were in the cards. Though it's not something I would be eager to read. 




Dumpster Fire--something that became a part of the vocabulary of 2020.
It wasn't quite a literal thing, as I did not see any dumpsters on fire, and for that I was glad with all the fires this past summer (more on fires--real ones--to come). But the colloquial definition of "dumpster fire" does describe the events of 2020. And though it wasn't meant literally, it was often depicted as such in cartoons on the Internet and was even used as a Christmas ornament this year.




There was also this parody video, another thing I got into this past year (More on songs and videos in later A-Z entries):


11 comments:

Bob Scotney said...

The older I get the more depressing the world becomes. In England we re getting fires on the mores and some even set in towns and villages just so the yobs can abuse the fire crews. Don't many dumpsters in use though.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari Om
I had sold my car in 2019, as I reached an age to receive our country's free bus travel... but that meant I could go nowhere of any significance during the past year! Even as things loosen off now, I will still stay at home, because public transport will be a sure fire place for the virus to kick off again. I do miss driving though... YAM xx

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Depression is a bad side effect of the lockdown, I'm so lucky to have a job, and being very busy. Right now, for our 3rd lockdown, I have to go physically at work once a week. I haven't heard about dumpster fire in US... hope it's done now.
Quilting Patchwork & Appliqué

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

I'm sorry you are dealing with this in this way. I don't mind being at home but I do know it really affects others a great deal. If driving helps, then by God, drive your little heart out. Are you able to see a counselor via phone? This saddens me so I hope when you get vaccinated it will allow you to do a little bit more even if wearing a mask.

Elephant's Child said...

Depression is an insidious beast isn't it? I am glad you could drive. Our lockdowns were mostly much softer than yours but just driving was out of the question.

Maggie said...

I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to read a dystopian 2020 novel anytime soon, but I just recently had someone else tell me about The Stand so I may look into that one. Also, I love that family that does the parody video like the one you posted. Always good to have a laugh with them!

Holly Jahangiri said...

My theory is that the books that will be popular will reflect the sort of books that were popular in the early 1920s. I doubt anyone will need to dwell on dystopian novels or those dealing with the pandemic - we've all shared in the experience, but within that shared experience there will be a billion unique experiences in which it features only tangentially - and that will be what gets read. That will be where the interest lies. Because we will all be done and done to death with the pandemic itself and our common complaints of it.

See Books that defined the 1920s, for example.

Holly Jahangiri (fellow participant in the #AtoZChallenge)
A More Positive Perspective, https://jahangiri.us/2020

Kay said...

I’m trying to read only happy books and see happy movies. I’m avoiding depressing/distressing these days.

Kay said...

Right now I am insisting on books and movies with happy endings. I need to be happy since there's so much to bring my mood down. Sigh...

Cathy Kennedy said...

Jamie,

It's difficult to not get down with everything going on for more than a year and I imagine it's even harder for someone like yourself who deals with depression. I find keeping myself busy with my passions is a great way to relieve stress and fuel my joy. The Holderness Family really rocks with their parodies!

Curious as a Cathy's Looney Tunes A-Z Daffy Duck Art Sketch. Join the fun at your leisure. Happy A2Zing, my friend!

Ann Bennett said...

I'm a restless soul too. I enjoyed staying home at first because I had a lot of work I needed to do and hauling everyone around made it difficult. Now I still have a bit of work to do; but, I would love to watch a movie or play in a theatre.