Rip Van Winkle, in Washington Irving’s short story, is a Dutch American in the pre-Revolutionary War period who falls asleep after drinking with some shadowy figures in the Catskill Mountains. He sleeps for twenty years and wakes up in a setting that is vaguely familiar but radically different from what he knew before.
I don’t drink and didn’t sleep away my 40+ years in Asia, but I can relate to the feelings of confusion and wonder that must have accompanied Rip Van Winkle upon his awakening. When I left Cambodia, I was returning home but it’s not the home I left in 1983!
So much has changed:
• communications are so different,
• politics are chaotic and without the civility and care for the common good of another era,
• landmarks and establishments on the streets have disappeared,
• even in the church, parishes have been merged and closed and 1/3 of the priests are from other countries.
And those are just some of the changes I’ve encountered. It’s going to take a bit more time to adjust to the American way of life today.
Many of us are having trouble adjusting to our chaotic political environment that is void of civility and care for the common good of another era. Here’s my version of, A BAD WEEK, which was posted by Anne Lamott on January 9, 2026.
https://annelamott.substack.com/p/a-bad-week
A BAD WEEK
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Scrolling the internet for heart warming videos is something I do when I’m sad, stressed or just wanting to escape. I also play games on my computer which can sometimes drive my husband crazy. Especially when he’s trying to communicate something he feels important and I’m barely listening to him. So, one day late last week I was needing to escape and I started scrolling the internet and came across an adorable video of Dick Van Dyke dancing with Al Roker from the Today Show. When I first saw the video I knew that I had hit the lottery. Ding! Ding! I smiled immediately! The music was pleasant, too, and it appropriately matched the dance moves. Anytime I see Dick Van Dyke on television or in a movie it takes me back to my childhood. A time which was so much simpler. I watched the video of him dancing numerous times that day and forwarded the video to my closest friends and family.
The more I watched the video that day the sadder I became. I even cried. I cried serious tears. I felt a very heavy dark cloud lingering around me. I finally realized that I was crying for the innocence I once had. I was also crying for the innocence I once saw in my fellow human beings. I am sad for our country, humanity in general and for what I once thought we were as a country. My heart breaks for Renee Good and her family. I also feel empathy for the Ice officer and his family. Both of these families lives have been forever changed. Last week felt like a week from hell!
We awakened on Saturday, January 3, 2026 to find out that the United States had captured the leader of Venezuela, who is not a good man. But, to hear our president talk more about Venezuelan oil than stabilizing Venezuela and helping the country return to a democracy, felt like the capture was more about money than anything else. A few days later our president starts making threats against Columbia, Cuba and Greenland. Yes, Greenland! An ally of the United States. And then on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, we watched the video of an Ice officer shooting a protester in Minnesota. Then we watched as the administration described how the entire incident was the deceased woman’s fault. There was no discussion or commentary from the administration about why the Ice “officers” didn’t try to deescalate the situation or any attempt at getting to the bottom of the situation so we can prevent these types of things from occurring again. And even though we saw what we saw on Wednesday, the administration tried to tell us a different story. It was all very unsettling. To me it felt like I was watching propaganda. It didn’t feel right! It felt like what you would see on Russian television. It all felt very scary. The entire week was draining! It was exhausting!
Since my mom passed away I’ve been trying to be kinder. I made a conscious decision to honor mom in this way. I try to smile at strangers more. Not in a weird way, but in a kind loving way. Smile when I just don’t feel up to it. Hold doors open for people I don’t know. Wave other drivers in front of me. I’ve always tried to do these things although I haven’t always been successful. And now it’s more of a conscious decision. It’s more intentional and it’s for a different reason~ to honor my beloved mom.
And even though I’m feeling really sad, I’m going to continue to try to brighten someone else’s day with small acts of kindness. If nothing else, it isn’t going to harm anyone and it might just make someone’s day a little better. ❤️
Welcome home, Fr. Dittmeier. You are not alone!
Jan
Hello, Jan….
Thank you very much for posting here.
Thank you for alerting other readers–who may not have heard of her–about Anne Lamott, a reflective and articulate bright spot in the Bad Week and the dark world you described.
And thank you for your version of the Bad Week. You, too, are thoughtful and well-spoken and addressing the real issues. That is exactly what we need now, people who speak truth, virtue, morality, and the desire and commitment to be more than we are at this present time, “each of us doing one small good thing, every day,” as Anne said.
Your mother has been honored.
Peace, Charlie