Groundhog Day

VIEWPOINT

By RALPH HARDIN

Evening Times Editor

Yes, it’s February 2nd, so by the time you read this, you should already know whether or not ol’ Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow or not and thus whether or not spring will come early this year or we’ve got six more weeks of winter (spoiler: I’ve seen the calendar, and spring will arrive on March 21, just like always). And if the blanket of ice that currently coats everything ourside my work-from-home office window is any indication, I wouldn’t plan on breaking out the shorts and tank-tops anytime soon.

While that’s the hoopla surrounding the second day of February, for me and many others, the phrase “Groundhog Day” no longer mean seeing what Phil has to say, but rather it reminds us of the 1993 Bill Murray movie in which Murray’s character (also named Phil) is trapped in a time loop and forced to spend the second of February in the same small town reliving the same day over and over again (spoiler for a 28-year-old movie: He has to learn what to do to get the day “right” and break the loop).

And just like Murray’s Phil, many of you might also seem

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like that as well… stuck in a loop and repeating all the same events over and over day after day, week after week, month after month and year, at least since the pandemic hit in 2020.

Whether it’s the same job, the same meals, the same evenings in front of the TV or just the same old routine, the days can just sort of blend into one another.

Add the recent cold and rainy spells and it means even more time inside doing the same thing with the same people (not that we don’t love those people, but you know the saying, close quarters bred contempt”). There’s a little bit of a lesson here, too. You want to break the cycle?

You need to “get it right.”

What thatmeans specifically to you is yours to figure out. New job? New hobby? Getting out of the rut isn’t easy (escpeclially when it’s freezing rain outside) but whether it’s one step at a time or a quick all-at-once change, it’s time to make your move…