Dwell in the darkness for any length of time and before ya know it, it can almost feel eerily comfortable, like hanging with an old friend. While it’s important to not have blinders on when it comes to what’s happening around us, it’s also…important to not have blinders on when it comes to what’s happening around us.

In other words… there’s plenty of light in the world. But our eyes have to be open to it. And sadly, good news doesn’t make headlines nearly as often – or as prominently – as the bad.

Let’s face it – bad news flat-out sells.

But in the interest of finding balance…

we should be careful of what it is that we’re actually buying.

I’ve been somewhat of an introverted extrovert recently – probably a byproduct of being an “empty caver” and being alone with my thoughts sometimes. Been trying to process the craziness, the injustices, the losses and tragedies that have befallen our country and the world in recent days and months, and it’s taken me for a bit of a ride. But there’s so much GOOD that happens every day, and I’m reminded of how important it is for us to see it.

More often than not, that means we hafta seek it out. Seek out good news, feel-good stories, tales of human kindness. Maria Shriver is so great at this – she runs a digital column every Sunday – “Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper” – whose primary goal is to “move humanity forward.” She doesn’t ignore the tragic headlines, but she imparts inspiring, hope-filled words on things we can do to make a difference in our own worlds. As far as I’m concerned, along with all of the other good that she does, Maria’s pretty much golden.

Life is like a prism – there are so many brilliant, vivid colors to it. Sure, some dark colors are mixed in and we shouldn’t ignore them, but that doesn’t mean we have to succumb to ’em. Not on your life!

We’d do well to not let the darkness ever get too comfortable.

May we always seek out the light. And in the midst of some turbulent, trying times, may we remind ourselves that there’s always good in the world.

It’s worth looking for.

_____________________________

It’s true.

There’s no more time to live with regrets.

There’s no more time to live with bitterness.

There’s no more time to wonder what could have been.

Life is just a vapor.

There’s only time for healing.

There’s only time to keep your heart right.

There’s only time for peace.

However you can get it.

We’re all just trying to find our way home.

______________________________

Saturday, June 25th. It was the day after the Supreme Court sucker-punched women and reversed Roe v. Wade and my mind was still reeling. I had flown into Phoenix the night before to visit my adult son Brennan, and being with him helped take my mind off the craziness. I realize that someone who willfully goes to the desert in late June might not be right in the head, but that’s beside the point.

Brennan took me to tons of cool places and he was a great host. Since the temps were triple-digity, being anywhere indoors was the goal. We ate. We drank. We ate and drank some more. We went to a cool Irish pub, Seamus McCaffrey’s, and it was all part of the plan – we were pregaming before watching the Diamondbacks and the Detroit Tigers square off at the beautiful (domed) Chase Field. Brennan had gotten us some sick tickets with a great view and I had never been to Chase before. I was impressed!

As ballgames go, there’s always a lot going on when tens of thousands of people cohabitate for a few hours. Like so many other ballparks, there’s no shortage of bars / lounge areas at Chase, and some people just watch the entire game from them rather than from their seats that they purchased. Others tend to stay in their seats the entire time. I always enjoy the art of people-watching when in large crowds, there are usually people from all walks of life at any major sporting event and this night was no exception.

It was about midway thru the game, the top of the 5th inning had just ended. Brennan got up to use the restroom and my thoughts returned to the overturning of Roe v Wade. I was still trying to wrap my head around it all, how the highest court in the land could make such a politically and religiously motivated move by stripping virtually half the US population of some of their basic federal rights. There had already been major protests and clashes across the country since the news broke. I couldn’t help but think of the people around me, the 37,000+ fans in attendance. In a crowd that large I knew there were people on both sides of the issue. Not to mention, all of the other issues plaguing and dividing us in 2022. I had just started contemplating this when the ”wave” broke out.

Like all of us, I’ve been in waves many times before. They’re usually a fun way to pass the time and a good crowd-pleaser, especially with the youth. As the wave came around to my section and it was our turn to stand up and flap our arms in the air, I found myself almost giddy to participate in such a simple act. After dutifully standing, arm-flapping and sitting back down, I was almost 12-year-old boy happy, I was smiling big time. I looked at everyone around me and it was the same – virtually everyone was smiling and laughing.

If there’s anything remotely close to a real magic wand being waved and a spell being put on people, it’s moments like this. Something as simple as moving in sync with thousands of others has a way of making some brain chemicals spring into happy mode. And when you’re in a large crowd that’s doing the wave, inevitably you look from afar to see the human wave….waving back at you.

It’s simple.

It’s fun.

It’s unity.

If only for a fleeting moment in time.

Surely there’s a way to replicate unity like this more often, right?

Surely there’s a way to be 12-year-old happy on more of a regular basis?

I’d like to think so.

And I’ll stop calling you Shirley.

What is it about the Tuesday after a holiday that makes it feel even more Monday-ish than Mondays do??

I enjoy a 3-day weekend as much as anyone, but they tend to make the work week a little more cray-cray if you hafta squeeze 5 days of work into 4.

Let’s face it – the day after a holiday should also be declared a holiday.

Actually…if Tuesday’s also a holiday, that leaves us with only three days to squeeze five days of work into. Ok screw it – whatever day the holiday lands on, that entire week should also be time off work. It’s the only sensible solution really. Why should we hafta deal with extra craziness just cuz we were forced to take a day off?

I KNOW MY RIGHTS!!!

It’s a good thing I love what I do. 😉

Shattered.

Billions of pieces

right down to the shards.

Not a trace of blue.

Blood red.

Dripping.

Gushing.

Crimson shades.

How long it’s been bleeding

God only knows.

From Earth

it looked like it always has.

But we never truly saw it

as it was meant to be seen.

We’ve been too busy.

Killing each other.

Weapons and Words.

Til it bled out.

As far as months go, I’ve always liked June. For starters it’s my birthday month so I’m appreciative of the fact that I was born, otherwise this blog would be a sheer miracle (talk about being a ghost-writer!). June has statistically been a great month for me, when some of the best times and memories of my life have happened. More than that though, June always feels like a month of hope. It’s the launch-point for summer (yay!) and is always full of graduations, weddings, and just a general feeling of celebrations and new beginnings. June = GOOD.

There are just a handful of months that only have 30 days, and it seems to fit June quite well. June 30th is different than the others though. For starters, it’s the only month that begins with a J and ends with an E. For seconders, it’s smack-dab-in-the-middle of the year. We’re halfway there baby.

Given how the first half of 2022 has gone, it begs the question: we’re halfway…where exactly? Looking back on the last six months – on the domestic front….ok let’s not even go there. As for the global front, well…nope not going there either. Let’s face it – we’re living in one big shit show. It’s starting to feel like we’re in the Eagles’ Hotel California, albeit not nearly as cool as the one in the song. Idk about you, but I’m ready to check out of 2022 – and I wouldn’t mind actually leaving also, thankuverymuch. 🎶

Since the DeLorean’s flux capacitor is still on the fritz, time travel is currently out of the question (not cool). Which leaves another question for the begging – what now? What’s going to give so that we can catch our breath before the next bombshell of a headline hits? What if nothing actually “gives” and the daily madness gets even more maddening?

Apparently we hafta find some zen wherever we can. Whether it’s quick 5 or 10 minute breaks here and there, a weekend at the coast, some time on the golf course or a permanent vacation in the Bahamas (it could happen), this is no time to deprive ourselves of things we enjoy. Given the tumultuous state of life as we know it, perhaps it’s time that we’re all card-carrying members of the Instant Gratification Club.

In moderation of course (whatever that means)…