There’s a saying that anything causing you stress right now will be irrelevant a year from now. Anyone close to me has most likely heard me dole out these words of encouragement whenever they’re telling me about a difficult situation. I also try to remind myself of this when I’m starting to feel overwhelmed by the every day.

I’ve decided to test this theory by looking back (as well as my memory serves) at the problems that I had last year to see if they have any relevance now.

Haiti’s earthquake: I can’t say that this is completely irrelevant now, but a lot of the things I was worried about last year have sorted themselves out. We were very fortunate to have not lost any friends or family and no belongings sustained any damage. It was a question of waiting to hear about people every time we heard about an aftershock. By April, we started to hear less about the earth shaking and people started getting back to their routines.

Housing: Last March we were really looking into moving from our first apartment. We were having a difficult time because housing prices had doubled since my husband arrived 6 months prior. To top it off, there weren’t a lot of options in the area. I recall finding one we really liked even though it was a little far from stores, the kids school, etc. and the landlord pulled out at the last minute. At that point, we decided whatever will be, will be. Within a month, we found the apartment that we currently live in which is much more conveniently located and cheaper. So, this one gets a check…

Employment: One of my biggest concerns before moving here was whether or not I’d be able to find work in my field. I was assured by many that I would, but my gut was telling me otherwise. Well, by this time last year I started to realize that my gut was right and it would be a long road to full-time work. Well, I’m still unemployed, but the difference is I’ve completely accepted that it’s not going to happen here and have since come up with a plan (which will be revealed at a later date ). I’d give this one a check, as well.

Learning Spanish: I wasn’t stressing myself a whole bunch about this last year, but I knew I wanted to feel a lot more comfortable going out on my own. I didn’t see much improvement by simply immersing myself and was always getting tripped up on grammar. I eventually found this course at the French Alliance and May will make it one year. As I mentioned, we’ve shifted into intensive format and I’m amazed at how much progress I’ve made (yes, I’m patting myself on the back). Even though this is a work in progress, it definitely gets a check!

So what, that’s 3 out of 4 – not bad. What do you think about this theory? Have you found it to be true for your stressful phases?

So, the other day I launched my web browser and saw on the front page of Yahoo an article about how Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas hasn’t spoken for five years. I immediately thought that the title was probably misleading and if I read it there would be some “just kidding” explanation at the end. Throughout the day, the article kept popping back up on my screen through various media outlets. By mid-day, I gave in and read it. I wish I hadn’t…

Can you believe that this man, no this person that is entrusted to interpret the US Constitution has said absolutely nothing for the past five years?! It’s not like he just hasn’t had much of an opinion on ANYTHING (which is even worse);but,  even when he is directly addressed for his thoughts nothing comes out of his mouth. I heard a recording from one of the sessions and let me tell you, it’s awkward! Upon further digging, I read a theory that he is self-conscious about his speaking voice/accent because he grew up speaking Gullah. Apparently, he’s also explained that he doesn’t see a need to ask the presenting lawyers questions because a lot of that is just political posturing. Uuhh, seriously?

I’ll put aside the fact that he and his wife are mired in conflict of interest accusations. I’ll also forget all the controversy that came with his nomination. However, this one just can’t be swept under the rug. I may be exaggerating, but I think this is a pretty important job that requires some pretty important decisions. Therefore, I can’t see how he could make these decisions without asking at least one question. Maybe he reads minds…or maybe he can see into the future and already knows what the answer would be should he decide to open his mouth

Am I overreacting? What do you think of a judge who doesn’t speak?