Went to the @chicagobears season opener with @oneunderscore__ and had a great time. I've been going to Bears games since I was a little kid, and every time I'm there I think about those memories. I miss going to games with my dad. I hope that we'll be able to take in a game again sometime. The Bears won 24-17, which was great! It was Caleb Williams' first game, though he didn't play particularly well. Oh well!
In an effort to deal with sometimes debilitating depression and anxiety, for these past three months, I've spent several hours a week in an intensive outpatient mental health program. Today was my last day. During my time there, I learned a lot of dialectical behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy skills that will help me as I move through the world ahead of me. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared to suddenly lose the support structure this program has provided for me these past few months. The other patients were wonderful, the therapists I worked with daily were helpful, and I'm going to miss them all so much.
On everyone's last day in the program, they're given a charm that's supposed to represent them and their time there. I got the dove. It's supposed to represent the importance of seeing things from multiple points of view (as a bird can see things from the ground, in a tree, and up in the sky). I also hope it'll be a reminder that I don't always have to be at war with myself, that maybe I'll find the internal peace that's eluded me all these years.
Anyway, if you've been wondering what I've been up to these past few months, it's this. I've been (and remain) pretty fragile. By no means am I "fixed," but I hope that I'm at least on a path to improvement.
Thanks, all. -Parker
This was pretty neat and unexpected. The New Republic listed me as one of its "25 Political Influencers to Watch in 2024"
"If Parker Molloy (@parkermolloy on social platforms) has worn many hats over her long career—editor, award-winning media critic, freelance essayist—she’s brought them all to her eclectic and winningly conversational newsletter of political and cultural commentary, The Present Age, which showcases her keen eye and sophisticated critical skills. The Present Age is an excellent destination for people who want to break free from fast-and-loose takes or analysis that gets laden with in-group shorthand. This is part of the plan, Molloy told TNR: 'When I’m writing a newsletter, I’m doing so with two distinct groups in mind: journalists and the average politically minded American. If members of each group can read one of my posts and come away with a new outlook on things, I’d call that a success, even if their outlook isn’t a mirror of my own.'”
