I’ve learned that what we see is often not what we get. Life has an endless supply of curve balls, some of them faster and more disorienting than others. My head is still spinning over other recent events in my own life, and I find myself struggling to make sense of it all. The last several months have felt like a series of dizzying events rushing over in waves like dominoes, jarring slices of life that should only have been allowed to exist in the Twilight Zone.
But nearly everyone I know seems to be suffering from some kind of darkness, many just as bizarre and unexpected as mine. Injustice, betrayal, and death seem to have permeated the world. The news has become the journal of an Orwellian dystopia. Although the writer in me sees the seeds for stories everywhere in our current political climate, I’ve found myself largely unable to write about it—it’s all too depressing, too surreal, too disturbing.
Instead, I extend it to everyone out there who’s suffered a recent loss, been betrayed, fallen into poverty, endured injustice, had to start over, or tumbled into some other, similar hell. I extend it to everyone who will be spending New Year’s Eve alone this year. Moreover, I extend it to all those who will spend the end of this year feeling alone.

I’ll be watching SyFy’s Twilight Zone marathon this New Year’s Day; seems fitting. I invite you to join me in spirit, ringing in 2018 with reflection, gratitude, and the satisfaction of some cosmic justice, even if it is just on the TV screen. May you leave 2017 wiser, stronger, and ready to begin anew. May you find happiness, even if it also comes with moments of despair. May you veer back to your path if you’ve strayed. Most importantly, may you find whatever it is you truly seek, and claim it.