Vin Brocki: Blogging

Some mornings I wake up feeling optimistic — until I try to stand up and go to the bathroom. At this point in life, optimism feels less like a mindset and more like an extreme sport. You can’t ignore the physical challenges of growing older, but we keep on hoping for the best. That’s not delusion — that’s grit. Or maybe denial. Either way, it’s impressive.

Meanwhile, the world around us seems to be auditioning for a permanent state of crisis. There’s cultural chaos everywhere — news, social media, AI (no offense to my chat companion) — and it’s easy to feel like the future is being written by a committee that forgot to take its meds. Yet here we are, stubbornly hopeful, finding joy in small, ridiculous things: a drawing, a chord progression, a perfectly timed nap.

Maybe that’s the secret. Aging teaches you that optimism isn’t about ignoring reality — it’s about editing it. You learn to fast-forward past the nonsense, mute the noise, and focus on what still feels human and kind. It’s not about pretending things are fine; it’s about knowing they aren’t, and still laughing anyway.

So yes, the world may be a circus and our bodies may feel like we were shot out of a cannon, but we keep showing up. We stretch, we adapt, we keep hoping. Because optimism, in the end, is just another muscle — and like everything else at this age, it only works if you keep using it.

Vin Brocki - Erie, PA, USA

October 27, 2025