Ascension from a pissy mood

There is so much negativity and tension in the world. It circulates around us, among us, and within us. It seemingly emanates from strangers, coworkers, and--most potently--our friends and family. Each interaction is coated with this toxic negativity.

Sometimes I feel it build within me. The pent-up resentment, the irritation. It boils beneath the surface. I imagine scenarios where I blow up at the wrong-doers, self-righteous in my anger and victimization.

But now I'm telling myself this: In the end, all the bullshit we get worked up over will mean nothing. Don't succumb to the toxic negativity. Rise above it. Be honest with yourself and with others. And have compassion for the people who live day to day in bitter resentment until they die. Because life is short, and we have only so long to make most of the time we have.

My father passed away when he was 67. And I'm almost halfway to his age. I will likely die of a heart attack like he did, thanks to heredity. I avoid fried food, red meat and pork, and exercise several times a week to toll my genetic death clock.

But one day, I will die. And in the moments right before I die, I might look back at my life, and wonder why I got worked up over bullshit. It was all so meaningless, and I should have spent more time being happy.

Hopefully I will have that deathbed-epiphany sooner rather than later.