I gotta stop getting bad news on Mondays, man. I get all bummed out, and then it gets kinda hard to write one of these light hearted blogs. Okay, sure, I could write over the weekend and just publish on Mondays, but that’s just not the way I do things.
Anyway, I’m feeling a little down this evening. There are some people in my family who I love dearly that are not doing very well. Emergency surgery. Hospice. Non operational. All those words that fill a person with dread the moment you hear them.
Another family member just passed away last week, my cousin Amy. She was five years younger than me. We weren’t exactly close, but I always enjoyed talking to her. She had seen a lot of tragedy in her life, but became a loving mother and wife, and I always thought she was a really good person. So even though I hadn’t actually seen her for years, family is family no matter what and it’s a shame she is gone so soon.
Of course, there’s also the state of the world today. I don’t get political on this blog very often but allow me a moment or two to vent here. The war in Ukraine is still going on, and it is insanely unjust. I am against war in any way, shape, or form, and to watch the genocide that is happening overseas fills me with anger and a profound sadness. When will the world learn?
It’s not any better on the home front either. Basic human rights are under attack, mostly by people who claim to be pro family, and paint themselves as “patriots” while they hide behind the Bible and they hide behind the flag, while passing laws that do nothing but insult both of those things. They operate on fear, greed, and hatred and I’ve just about had it with the lot of ’em. I have seen too many people hurt, too many lives wrecked, and too many otherwise reasonable people duped into following their rhetoric. It’s bad out there, folks, and it ain’t getting better any time soon.
So. What to do? How do I pick myself up and move on? I look for hope, and I try to spread a little good. To be honest, hope is mighty hard to come by these days. Yet it’s there if we look for it.
There are still plenty of people out there fighting the good fight. I donate to causes I believe in. I also give to charities that help the less fortunate (I am the king of rounding up when I buy fast food). I vote. I do my best to support the oppressed (hey, that rhymes!) and take every opportunity I can to listen and to learn. If only those in power would do the same.
That’s part of “spreading good”. I also try to make people happy as much as possible by entertaining. Not only do I have this blog, which is usually a lot more upbeat than it is today, but I try to keep my social media fairly light, and I have just started a new feature with my brother on his podcast which should be premiering soon. Perhaps these aren’t the most noble examples but if I can make somebody smile, or even give them a momentary distraction from their troubles, then that’s a pretty good thing.
Now. Hope. Where does it come from? Well, for me, I see hope in this generation coming up now, Gen Z. They have a really good handle on things from a humanitarian point of view. I see in them the possibilities of fulfilling the good works we Gen Xers thought we were starting, but got too cynical and hardened to really finish up. I have hope that they may help save the soul of this country. It’s slipping away, but they have the power to grab hold of it and bring about a better future. I hope to God they can do it-and that it’s not too late.
I also have hope in the spiritual. I still believe in a gracious, loving God who loves us all. I hold on to my faith. I’m not always good at living it out, but I try. I also think that if all of us believers, no matter what denomination or faith, focused more on the love and less on the dogma, maybe some of that peace we’re all looking for might just start to manifest.
There’s still more hope though. I see hope whenever someone holds open a door for a stranger loaded up with bags. I see hope when people laugh together. I see hope in hugs from old friends and family. I hear hope in music of all types-even the sad or angry stuff. There’s hope in the rainbow after the storm, and in the sunshine that follows.
So yeah, there’s a lot of darkness out there right now. Things pretty much suck. But still, if we hold on hope, find a little light, and spread it around as best we can, well, then we might just make it through all right.
Thanks for indulging me with whatever that was. I’ll be back with more of the usual soon. Happy day to all you mothers and please come back for more MonDAVEs.
MonDAVEs with Dave Brink 