I finished work in a very bad place.
I’d sat at my desk around 9 p.m. on Thursday, determined to stay in a “Friday” frame of mind. Minutes after opening a browser, however, I discovered that the United States had assassinated the highest ranking Iranian general in an airstrike. This development did not bode well for the future, which quickly became evident when “World War 3” became the number one trending topic on Twitter. Like me, others were remembering history and examining the possible geopolitical chess moves that were likely to occur in the coming days.
It didn’t take long for Iran to react, and as you can imagine, its leaders were furious. The U.S. president responded by tweeting a pixelated American flag. Republicans backed his play. Democrats decried the use of force without Congressional approval. Liberals urged leaders to be cautious; they also suggested such an attack was meant to dissuade Americans from voting out an impeached president during such a scary moment in time. And the hawks began to “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war.”
Historians and security experts suggested that retaliation was bound to occur and offered various possible scenarios, many of which escalated to apocalyptic levels. Political leaders in target cities began to take measures meant to increase security — or at least provide a sense of it. One poor fellow disembarked from a plane at LAX late last night only to discover the airport was filled with soldiers. What could have possibly happened while he was in the air, he wondered.
As the night wore on, I noticed that many of the people in my cyber social circle couldn’t sleep. Oh, a few dropped off with plans to disappear into a book or a marathon of streaming shows, and really, who could blame them? Others kept returning to the Web, desperately searching for more information.
That’s where I came in.
I spent the overnight hours tracking these conversations, weeding through the chaff and searching for news. By the end of my shift, our news org had published nearly a dozen stories about the assassination, including an article detailing Iran’s promised response, a profile of the slain general and a look back at the president’s past comments on launching a war with Iran during an election year. All of the other terrible things happening in the world — the devastating fires in Australia, the deadly floods in Indonesia, the upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, the continued separation and detention of families on the southern border, yet another woman making allegations of sexual misconduct against the president — were pushed down the page to make way for this latest calamity.
When my 10-hour shift finally ended, I had a migraine. My chest felt tight. Every muscle in my neck and shoulders and back was tense in a way I hadn’t felt since the middle of November when I was able to take a vacation and enjoy the holidays. Alas, that sense of peace and relaxation was gone.
So when morning came and the daywalkers took over, I shut down my computer and retired to the chair in the library. To my right was a stack of books, my iPad and a large cup of tea. Chilled by the events of the night, which continued to swirl inside my head, I donned a blanket and put up the footstool. Mere moments later, Bast sent me a couple of kitties to begin the process of detoxifying my mind. Treacle settled on my lower legs and purred herself to sleep. Choux leaped into my lap and softly kneaded my belly. Chai hopped onto my chest and demanded affection. Thoroughly covered in feline therapy, I closed my eyes, took my first deep breath of the night and silently thanked her for their help.
