It’s sort of a trick question. First of all, a colostomy is an operation that routes your colon to a hole in your side so that you can…well you know. There’s a bag and all that.
Anyway, according to this really interesting New York Times article, people are happier when they know the worst has already happened than when they’re not sure if things are going to get better. In other words if you know your colostomy is permanent, you’re happier than if you think it might not be.
Did that make sense? The point is this. We’re so miserable right now not necessarily because of what is happening (we can adjust to that), but because of what we fear might happen.
We don’t know where it’s going to end and that’s killing us.
My suggestions is this. Accept that things are only going to get worse and deal with it. In other words adjust to a level of misery that you haven’t experienced yet, and if it happens, you’ll be prepared. If it doesn’t, you’ll be shocked and elated, sort of like I was when the Phillies won the World Series last year.
In other words, find joy in the fact that your life is going to get much worse.
