Well, it would seem like we’re in the post-credit phase of 2020. The year is technically over but now we’re getting a glimpse of the things to, um, look forward to for the upcoming year. 2021 is only seven days old and already we’ve had a riot on the Capital Building, continued spikes in COVID, the Knicks came back from a fifteen point deficit… and won, and the Philadelphia Eagles tanked a prime time football game thus keeping my New York Football Giants out of the playoffs. That’s a hell of a week.

Far too often in these last four years, I’ve come here and said that it doesn’t feel appropriate to be writing about pop culture which is a bummer because I love writing about pop culture. I love coming here with you guys and geeking out and escaping from the things around us. Politics. Work. Poorly run sports franchises. Mostly, I just want to celebrate the things that we love. Together. In a safe space… on the internet. Which of course sounds like an oxymoron but hey, got to work with what you got. But sometimes the events are too heavy to ignore. Case and point, yesterday.

So, in these times where I don’t feel like writing or diving deep into pop culture, what is being done in order to distract ourselves from the chaos that is the outside world? How does one escape or stay sane? Is that even possible anymore? And while I wish I was here writing about The Mandalorian or season three of Cobra Kia, I thought I’d emphasize the importance of finding these distractions. Yes, I think you should stay informed and pay attention to the events happening around us but I also understand that these events drain away at our life forces leaving us feeling hopeless and “meh”. There’s only so much that we can endure.

Be sure to take care of your mental health and turn the off switch on the crap from time to time. For me, I started watching Bridgerton with the Mrs. and I’m not going to lie, I’m completely invested in this show and characters. I also rather enjoy the way they make the word issue rhyme with tissue. Such a delight. This is the perfect type of escapism for me right now. A show that looks nothing like our current world. Plus everyone is super attractive and dresses all fancy-like. Cool, I’m in.

I also started reading the first book in the massive Star Wars project, The High Republic. I’m not very far into the first book, Light of the Jedi, but I’m enjoying this fresh perspective into the Star Wars Universe. Two hundred years before The Phantom Menace, Jedi at the height of their powers, and the promise of a Yoda in his prime. Yeah, what’s not to like here.

Distractions can be important, especially when they’re preserving what little threads of sanity we have left. I mean, we’re still living in a pandemic on top of all this. Good times, right?

I know the times are trying and sometimes it’s tough to remain hopeful or optimistic. I get it. But Geeklings, please be sure to take care of yourselves. Let me know what you’re using as forms of escapism. Sound off in the comments or throw me a line on the Twitter @iamgeek32. This isn’t the first week of content that I had planned for the New Year but you got to make do with what you’re served I supposed. This is better than not writing at all in my opinion. Hopefully next week we can take some deep dives into the things we’re currently using to distract ourselves. Stay strong Geeklings!