“For several days after that meeting I wanted only to be in places where the lights were bright and no one counted days.” Joan Didion, “Getting Serenity,” 1968
The words above were written by Didion after she attended a Gamblers Anonymous (G.A.) meeting. She said she hated the word “serenity” because she associated it with death— but it was overused in G.A. all the same.
Her words on the emotions that surfaced after attending the meeting are still relatable as I often find myself feeling this way regarding this warped reality we are in now.
En masse, we have lost serenity. And I truly think that living in the bright lights and not counting days and statistics is the only way back from the dead.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 