The year shit went wrong, but I tried to find the right

Kevin O'Keeffe
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read

August 30, 2016: The day my dad died.

September 5, 2016: The day I eulogized my dad.

September 9, 2016: The day I tried to return to work with a positive attitude, but was quickly proven that life’s not that easy.

September 16, 2016: The day when, tear-streaked and screaming on a street of a Boston suburb, I should’ve known shit was going wrong.

September 28, 2016: The day I saw Arrival for the first time, and began to hope that art could heal me.

October 22, 2016: The day I saw Falsettos for the first time, and knew that in the darkest times, art was all I had.

November 2, 2016: The day I found my voice at work again, and began to gain some hope.

November 8, 2016: The day I lost hope.

November 9, 2016: The day the darkest times began.

November 13, 2016: The day when, crying on the couch with my mother, I felt I had no grip on everything in my life.

November 19, 2016: The day when, gallivanting through London, I finally thought I had fixed things.

November 21, 2016: The day I lost grip once again — or realized I had never regained it at all.

November 26, 2016: The day my relationship ended.

November 27, 2016: The day when, at 3 AM, I heaved with sobs watching Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, and wondered if I would ever again have the grip I so desperately needed.

December 30, 2016: The day I hurt my best friend.

January 2, 2017: The day my best friend hurt me.

January 8, 2017: The day I last saw my best friend, when we couldn’t even speak to each other. The day The Color Purple closed, and with it took a bit of my heart. The day I shared a room with Hillary Clinton and wept for what we were about to endure.

January 13, 2017: The day my sister in life found out he had cancer. Again.

January 16, 2017: The day I decided to move to Los Angeles.

January 20, 2017: The day I couldn’t bear to look at Twitter for fear of puking.

February 3, 2017: The day my New York family and I found ourselves in Palm Springs, and I never wanted to go back east.

February 17, 2017: The day my sister in life found out he didn’t have cancer. Thank God.

February 26, 2017: The day Viola Davis won an Oscar. (Finally!)

February 27, 2017: The day I found out I would be moving to Los Angeles officially.

March 11, 2017: The day I saw my high school girlfriend get married.

March 17, 2017: The day I found out I’d be going to RuPaul’s Drag Con.

April 23, 2017: The day my laptop got stolen. Also the day I did not get to see Katherine Heigl’s Unforgettable.

April 24, 2017: The day my laptop got replaced, and I no longer cared about Katherine Heigl’s Unforgettable.

April 29, 2017: The day I saw the power of drag, and fell in love with something I’d already been in love with for some time.

May 26, 2017: The day I said goodbye to my New York office.

May 27, 2017: The day I said goodbye to my New York friends.

May 28, 2017: The day I said goodbye to my New York apartment.

May 31, 2017: The day I said goodbye to New York.

June 18, 2017: The day I ran away from everyone because I didn’t know how I would be on my first Father’s Day after my dad’s death.

July 7, 2017: The day I finally got my Los Angeles apartment in order, and felt at home again.

July 15, 2017: The day I talked to the man I loved for the first time in half a year, and finally started to heal.

July 17, 2017: The day I felt like my move was a mistake.

July 28, 2017: The day I knew my move wasn’t a mistake.

August 16, 2017: The day I felt on top of the world, like nothing could stop me.

August 17, 2017: The day I lost my job.

August 23, 2017: The day I will go to New York to see friends I haven’t in months — to see the family I’ve been missing even as I’ve come to embrace my new family in Los Angeles.

August 24, 2017: The day that would have been my dad’s 64th birthday.

August 30, 2017: The day that will be the one-year anniversary of my dad’s death.

August 31, 2017: The day the year shit went wrong finally ends — and a new year begins.

September 1, 2017: The day that, if I have anything to say about it, shit will start going right.

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    Kevin O'Keeffe

    Written by

    Drag Race herstorian and Gail stan. Subscribe to my Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/dragracerewind