Honestly, friends, I’ve got nothing for you this week. I feel tired. I feel empty. Sad, disappointed, and angry. My usual sunshine and rainbows just aren’t here. They’re replaced with feelings of strangeness and anxiousness and this overall sense of confusion.
If you read these posts or subscribe to my blog, you know that I’m not political. You won’t find my writings wrapped around political musings. As a matter of fact, I stay away from political discussions for the most part- choosing to remain quiet rather than argue points.
I am not my politics. My political beliefs are a small part of who I am. I define my character by the way I carry myself through the days- the good ones and the crappy ones. I want people to understand that I truly believe in the idea of loving my neighbor. I never want people to see me and see hostility. I will always use my voice for light and love and goodness.
I will tell you this, though. I hate hate. Every time. Every situation. And- the storm on the Capitol was all about hate. Don’t try to give the “yeah, but…” or a “what about…” because there is no way to spin that to make it right. I’m all about love and forgiveness, but even I’m seeing exceptions to that thinking. Who? Let’s start with the mob who crushed that police officer in the doorway. Haven’t seen the video? It’ll turn your stomach- or it should. I’m here to tell you that both parties have honorable members and horrible extremists. If you don’t believe me, you’re not looking hard enough. Open your minds and your hearts.
So- here’s the bottom line. Even I have no words of optimism to offer this week. Instead, I’m going to put a few tips that I follow. Think of them as things to get you through the days, even when the world around you is falling apart.
- 🌤Find a cause to champion. There are plenty of positive places and groups that need your voice or your skills.
- 🌤Get to know someone who doesn’t look or sound like you. I guarantee that you’ll find something you have in common. Maybe you have the same favorite movie, or you both think pineapple belongs on pizza. Perhaps you’ll even gain a new friend.
- 🌤Read! I’m not talking about your social media feed or the newest romance novel. I mean read to learn something new. Choose a book about history. A different culture. A biography. Expand your horizons through books.
- 🌤Fill your time with a hobby. Learn to knit. Train for a 5K. Refurbish old furniture. Don’t sit back and allow negativity to creep into your life and take over. Busy yourself with growth.
- 🌤Find a podcast. Make sure it is one that will challenge your thinking or teach about a new topic. Don’t listen to anything that merely reinforces your current beliefs. New isn’t bad. Different ideas aren’t wrong.
- 🌤When you start to post something that will land in that negative space, take a picture of your dog or that meal you just cooked or your cute kid instead. Share an uplifting quote or a silly meme. Write about your weekend plans or that growing pile of laundry you don’t want to handle. Change your thinking in that very moment.
- 🌤Go out for some ice cream- just because. Don’t we all feel a little bit better when we have a scoop or two? I know I do.
- 🌤Take a walk with yourself. Ask the difficult questions. Who am I? What do I stand for? Do I need to make some changes?
Please don’t put political comments to this post. I’ll delete them. I stand for more than that. I’m tired of the arguments. I’m done with over-the-top negativity. The conspiracy theories are beyond exhausting. Stop wasting precious time in this life. What if…we turn things around for the better? Let’s use our time to show how amazing people can be when we act out of love rather than from hate. And- let’s start today.💖
sharing the stairs 