I’m exhausted.
That’s what the past few months have felt like, day after day. Just feeling constantly exhausted. I didn’t have the best end of summer, mostly due to oral surgery and the passing of Aunt Bea. August feels like a long time ago, and soon it will be the end of 2026, and I’ll have no idea where the time went.
On top of that, work has become more stressful. Which is always fun. Beyond the increased workload, which is typical and not a big deal in itself, the way it increased has made this situation much worse. It’s not worth going into the details, but let’s just say I spent September 30th sitting in the pastor’s office discussing my anger about the work situation, and it wasn’t lost on me that it was also the feast day of St. Jerome, a guy most known for two things: translating the Bible into Latin and having an anger problem.
All of this is to say I don’t have the temperament for a lot of things, like translating the Bible (or anything), and I doubt I’ll ever become a saint. But as Father Gillespie pointed out – just like Jerome, I’m doing many great things. So if you are having a hard time at work, it wouldn’t hurt to see a Catholic priest with a PhD in psychology.
This entire situation, the funk, as I like to call it, reminds me how important it is to take care of our mental health. I’m actually eating well, exercising more, and sleeping better. But your overall mental health can still take a beating, whether it’s worrying about the upcoming mid-term elections, getting those medical forms filled out correctly and sent, or especially when the Cleveland Guardians blow a 2-1 series lead in the playoffs and now need to win two straight games to advance to the World Series and most likely lose to a team from Milwaukee of all places.
We all need to take care of ourselves and look out for each other. I’m sorry I have been out of pocket for the past month, and appreciate the understanding.
Okay, let’s get to what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events mark anniversaries ending in 5 or 0.
1. The British surrendered on October 19, 1781. After weeks under siege at Yorktown, General Charles Cornwallis was ready to surrender, but instead of showing up to hand his sword to General George Washington, he called in sick and had his second-in-command, General Charles O’Hara, take his place. In a game of “No, you need to give the sword to this guy” that probably took longer than necessary, the right guy received the sword, the surrender became official, and the Revolutionary War was effectively over. I have yet to call in sick, although this past Saturday I felt awful after getting shot with both the COVID and flu vaccines.
2. Annie Edson Taylor went over Niagara Falls on October 24, 1901. Taylor decided to celebrate turning 63 by putting herself into a barrel and then falling 167 feet to the bottom. Annie became the first person to survive the trip over the falls in a barrel, and the first thing she announced to the world after climbing out in one piece was “Nobody ought ever do that again.” No kidding.
3. The George Washington Bridge opened on October 25, 1931. Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the bridge connecting New York to New Jersey eight months ahead of schedule. I don’t think I have ever delivered anything eight months ahead of schedule, and in fact, many of you have been waiting for over ten years for my research paper on anger. I’m working on it!
My hope moving forward to the end of 2026 is to post more consistently, and again I apologize for dropping off. I haven’t taken a break this long in four years. Not posting added stress, which didn’t help either. But Okay History is supposed to be fun, not a burden, so I needed the break.
Thanks for your continued support of OKH! It means a lot. Have a great week!
Okay,
Chris
"Nobody ought ever do that again." Some people didn't take her advice and tried to ride the Falls like she did later (only they didn't use barrels)...