CARVSMARK

Alright, brace yourself, because here it comes: I’m living in a world that feels like a roller coaster ride and a food fight at the same time. I’m talking flying mashed potatoes, sudden loops, and a whole lot of unprocessed chaos. Seriously, is it just me, or did someone crank the weirdness dial up to 11 and then send the world on a flaming waterslide? I’m not sure what happened out there, but everything is off-like someone accidentally poured ghost pepper sauce into the world’s burrito, and now we’re all struggling with indigestion and trying to pretend like it’s fine. How are you doing? Because I show up to work every day either drowning in an existential panic about the future or sighing my soul out about everything that’s currently happening. Is this what we’re doing now? Just feeling it?

It’s like everywhere you go, people are obsessed with “the next big disaster”—wars, tariffs, climate chaos. Meanwhile, I get home, try to chill out, and head for a nature walk where my dog immediately decides to plow through poison ivy like it’s a clearance sale at the spa. I’m pretty sure she’s also plotting to roll in something that will require me to wrestle her into the bathtub and call the fire department to get the smell out. Nature’s response to my attempt at peace is like: “You wanted serenity, huh? Here’s an itchy disaster.”

And as I’m walking, trying to convince myself that I am somehow a rational human being, I pass by people who chirp “Good morning!” with smiles that are so fake I’m pretty sure they’ve been Botoxed with optimism. I can’t help but think, is it really a good morning? Is this just a big act where everyone pretends not to be one step away from losing it? Am I the only one feeling like I’m trapped in an absurd sitcom where people laugh in the background while the world burns?

Maybe it’s just me but I think I might be one bad cup of coffee away from losing all sense of reality.

Then I make the tatal mistake: I turn on the TV. BOOM! Welcome to the 24-hour panic station!

Tariffs, wars, apocalyptic weather, maybe a zombie apocalypse just around the corner and oh look, a commercial for a new way to lose 10 pounds in a week. Great, just great. At this point, Mother Nature must be looking down on us, facepalming so hard it’s creating natural disasters. If she could talk, I’m sure she’d be like, “You idiots! I gave you rainbows, puppies, and good avocado toast. And THIS is how you repay me?

“As a mother, this whole “keep a positive attitude” thing is becoming trickier. How do I teach my kids to have hope when we’re all living in what feels like the planet’s biggest dumpster fire? Do I sit them down and say, “Okay kids, here’s your choice: you can take the elevator straight to the chaos floor, or you can hop on the tornado coaster run by crazy politicians who think recycling is a suggestion.” Tough crowd, huh?

But wait, I’ve had an epiphany: We need to focus on the little things. Yep, forget about the global crises, the political madness, and the fact that my dog has an insatiable craving for poison ivy. The real joy is in the tiny moments. The little bits of zen that make you pause and go, “Ahh, okay, life’s not all bad.” You know, like the smell of fresh rain hitting the ground, or when the clouds part just enough for you to witness the sun setting like it’s been practicing for hours. And let’s not forget about the birds! Those little gossipers in the trees, chirping away like they’re the judges of some avian reality show. You can’t tell me that’s not better than watching the news.

I remember as a kid, my brother and I had a cherry tree in the front yard. That tree was ours.

We’d climb it, spy on the cherries growing, ripening, and then oh the joy eat them until we were so sick we were contemplating life choices. And let me tell you, sunsets from that tree were so breathtaking that we’d forget we’d be arguing about who got the last cherry tomorrow. But in those moments, we were just there, being—and that was more than enough. Maybe, just maybe, that’s the answer to surviving today’s dumpster fire of a world: focus on the simple, sweet things, like sunsets, birds, and cherries that give you a sugar rush.

But honestly, I’m convinced the secret to peace might just be in the small things. The unexpected bits of joy that sneak up on you like someone holding the door open for you or that perfect pasteis de nata in Portugal, eaten as the waves crash against the shore. Or the smell of an old bookstore in Porto that takes you back to your grandparents’ house where you fed newborn sheep while inhaling the scent of rosemary from Grandma’s garden. It’s these memories, these tiny experiences, that remind me: this is the stuff that makes life worthwhile.

So yeah, the roller coaster ride of life may be a hot mess, but at least we can appreciate the cherries along the way. And if all else fails, there’s always another sunset to distract us from the chaos.