I brought bagels!
This morning I woke up from a deep sleep. My waking thought was “Thank you, Lord! That was good!” I felt completely rested. The sun was shining. A breeze was wafting in from the window. The day had endless positivity possibilities. And then I sipped my coffee, read the news and perused Facebook. EGADS! The world is in a state of chaos. And people are sinking into a maddening darkness.
There is the stuff out in the bigger world: Ferguson, MO under attack. Robin Williams killing himself. The war in Gaza. The noise of these violent acts is deafening. People are unhappy in life and they viciously act on it. They wrongly believe peace comes from force.
And then more personally, people I love are in pain. This week, I’ve heard many sad tales of people being broken: a knee, a heart, a soul. And their response to their own unhappiness varies. For some, I’m inspired by the courageous commitment to confront their obstacle and prevail. Surgery, “The Mindy Project,” anti-depressants, therapy… people are getting the help they need to make it over their hurdle.
For others, they can’t see over the hurdle. They are flailing. They tread water in toxic waste. And I can explain exactly how I think they should climb out of their hole. But it’s their life. They get to choose their own adventure.
Life is hard. Life is not fair. Bad things happen to good people. I can’t fix anyone. All I can do is to live my life to its fullest and be kinder… to everyone.
So, I brought bagels… and cream cheese.