An End-of-Decade List for the Rest of Us
Don’t tally your accomplishments. Here’s what really matters.
“It’s the end of the decade. What have you accomplished in the past 10 years?”
That’s the Twitter prompt that has been making us doubt our life choices lately. (Right? Or just me?) Social media generally brings out the performative exhibitionist in all of us, but the end-of-a-decade thing multiplies the anxiety-inducing quotient by at least 10.
This decade was hard. We are all a little raw and vulnerable. Profound dysfunction in our country’s leadership is on display in chaotic impeachment hearings. School shootings are on the rise. Scientists warn that time is running out to reduce the deadly effects of climate change. And we never did figure out if that dress was blue or white.
So maybe we skip the self-congratulatory lists and memes this year? Instead, let’s just acknowledge that we’ve made it through. That’s no small accomplishment. Go ahead and take a moment and congratulate yourself. Insert all the applause emojis here. Breathe. Maybe eat cake.
After all, the accomplishment fetish is not just exhausting — it’s insidious. It implies that our worth is measured in dollar signs, wedding contracts, and home ownership, some of the main cultural constructs that have divided…
