That's Entertainment!

Robert Loggia and Tom Hanks in a famous scene from "Big."

We can't control who we like and who we don't like; it just happens. The people who become our closest friends give us comfort that defies understanding.

My closest friends right now are all dealing with monumental problems, adding to my distress by proxy, while others who offer little emotional satisfaction are happy-go-lucky types who, by luck or determination, can deny all problems, sailing along despite the sadness around them. (I find them somewhat nauseating.)

My habitual preference for darkness over light may reflect a relentless need for chaos stemming from a chaotic childhood. Fortunately there is relief available besides that destructive trio of antidepressants, drugs and alcohol. The following books and movies are the best methods of relieving anxiety I have found over the years, and I turn to them again and again. 

"The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks

"Ethan Frome" by Edith Wharton

"White Noise" by Don DeLillo

"Passage Meditation" by Eknath Easwaren

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

Jaws 

Groundhog Day

Apollo 13

Big

Tootsie