It’s been almost six years since I became widowed, which sometimes seems like millennia and other times, like mere weeks.
There are so many things that have happened in our world since then, though, and to be honest, I don’t think he’d be loving how things are these days.
He most likely would’ve been all over the board during the height of the Pandemic, with regard to how to best deal with it.
One way or another, he would’ve had an opinion on it and a strong one at that.
He was the kind of person to get really interested in something really fast and soon it would consume him.
By the end of a week, stuck on something like he’d oftentimes become, he would know just about everything there is to know about the topic.
He would use his newfound knowledge, and then post his opinions for all to see, religiously, on his social media.
It would all be backed up with research on par with that of a professional scholar.
He’d be so impassioned about the subject du jour that he’d debate about it until he lost friends. He’d relentlessly hit that block button, as would many people who would dare to argue about his stance on whatever it was.
I can only imagine how he’d feel in the present day, what with everything that has happened in the last few years.
One thing is for certain, he’d be in and out of Facebook Jail on the regular.
That is another thing that has spun viciously out of control since he’s been gone: Social Media has gotten pretty toxic in the last few years.
Twitter isn’t what it was when he was around either, in fact, it’s not even Twitter anymore.
And as for Facebook? As I mentioned before, he would have been a little bit of a repeat offender by this time.
In fact, one time, a year or so back, I quickly logged into his account to confirm that I am the Legacy Contact on the account so I can memorialize the page when I feel the time is right.
I was met with the standard Facebook admonishment due to something he’d posted years and years back. He had been on a seven-day suspension, but it was already up by the time it was noticed.
It actually made me laugh a little, that he was still causing “trouble” even from beyond.
I treasure those little smiles when they come because when I think about things like this, they can be rare.
Our world has changed so much, and him not being here is just one part of it.
Sometimes I feel like if he were to be able to come back to visit for just a day, he’d be shocked by the way things are now.
I would also seem like an entirely different person to him. He wouldn’t even know his daughter.
I would hope he’d be impressed by how much we’ve had to adapt to not only a chaotic world but to a life without him.
But I know that he wouldn’t like how things are now.
Life hasn’t been easy for many of us for a while now, so we should all be proud of how we’ve made it through these last few years.
And yes, that includes the repeated Facebook jailbirds. (I’ve been in and out a few times myself.)
It makes me wonder what another almost six years will bring.
As much as I’m hoping for flying cars and vacations on the moon, in reality, it will likely be six more years of vast changes to our world coupled with the undying curiosity about how our departed loved ones would handle them.
And maybe even a little comfort in knowing that they never again have to deal with the kind of turmoil that has plagued so many for so long now.
Image via IGM Guru
About Layla Beth Munk
Layla Beth Munk is a blogger & author who was thrust into this widowhood journey abruptly and tragically on February 11, 2018. Her husband of 12 years had ended his pain once and for all. She soon made the decision that she would not let his final decision define the rest of her life or their daughter’s life, so with her sense of humor at the helm, she started writing about her newfound station in life. Grief waves still get to her, and probably always will, but with the help of her fellow widows as well as friends and family, she has been able to realize her dream of becoming a published author! Layla is so grateful to Hope For Widows Foundation for providing this level of support to her, and so many others! Layla has two amazing children, one who is grown and one who is almost grown. She lives in eastern Oregon and has a wellness & beauty background. Layla enjoys writing poetry, watching anime, and homeschooling her daughter.
Her blog can be found at laylabethmunk.medium.com and her debut novella, 24 Hours in Vegas, is available on Amazon.