It's fair to say that 2016 started badly, reached a crescendo of awfulness during the early-middle part of the year, and peaked in misery again towards the back end.
With only a few days from the 366 remaining it's anyone's guess whether the fates will throw anything else at us.
Now I use the term 'us' to indicate that I belong to and share the wishes of the class of beings we refer to as humanity.
In reality though I'm a part of the privileged class of folks who are comfortable but nevertheless find things about which to be appalled and disgusted, especially with respect to the impact on my life. And my family's.
But unlike so many people I'm not thinking of the impact NOW, no. It's what's coming up.
Before marriage and starting the family I led a life of mindless optimism. That eventually changed to Hopeful Pessimism them Realism.*
Some months ago though, prior to the final phase of the somewhat calamitous US Presidential elections and prior to that small percentage of the UK voting to leave Europe, I wrote that I was scared of the future.
Guess what.
*Thanks Tyson, very useful.