I have been writing ideas down for almost a week, excitedly trying to settle on the “best” first blog topic, for my newly minted 2021 interwebs blog. I thought I was ready, poised to pen my masterful opus no. 1, but then yesterday happened…in America…at the Capital Building.
For me, the event was saddening, unsurprising, frustrating and embarrassing. Even though I was not directly involved in any of what I choose to refer to as the “infantile incident”, in reaction my heart was discouraged , my mind was suspicious, my gumption was discontented, and my soul was unsettled.
I only had to go as far as my Facebook page to learn how other countries are viewing this ill behavior. And, believe me when I say, everyone in America is getting clumped in with a small group. We are seen as completely losing the plot in front of the rest of the world. Like we have been thrust into the cast of a new ratings-tanking reality show, to which we DID NOT sign over our rights.
For just one moment, this was a weight I began to accept the responsibility to wear and then I stopped thinking, listening and reading about everything. I closed my eyes, dropped my shoulders and inhaled deeply, audibly and exhaled the same. NO. NOT TODAY. I said this audibly, as well, to myself and then opened my eyes. This is a weight I am refusing to take on as my own. I needed to refocus. To think. To do.
To me it is only intelligent to acknowledge that yesterday’s folderol is definitely yet another instance of American History repeating itself. I would prefer an original screenplay, please, because I have heard and seen this one before, repeatedly. While I empathize with my young contemporaries that have never seen the like, I also know with a certainty that not much will permanently change for the better for any of us without a true accounting of the facts and a decisive reckoning for perpetrators of these shenanigans.
Fortune has smiled upon me and bestowed gifts. And, with these gifts, I believe I have a purpose. A purpose that compels me care enough, to use my voice, bringing life to art as a reflection of our human day-to-day. To care enough to speak truth to light, in the direction of support, healing, education, reconciliation, excellence and joy. So, that is what I will continue to do with this blog of mine. Shine the light, continuously. Conscious of what took place yesterday, but focusing forward on the positioning of tomorrow. I hope you will continue to join me and bask collectively in the warmth and celebration of the positive human spirit.