Hate the Hate

November 9, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

I had a different, uplifting post scheduled for today. But I fear it would have gotten drowned out by current events. I went to bed early and overnight the world seems to have gone mad. I’m not taking sides, I’m not with anyone. I just hate the hate.

I hate divisive talk. I hate that we can’t all get along and I hate the way we verbally assault the other side for having a different opinion. I’ve sat on the sidelines and watched as people tear each other down for the way they view the world and for the way they voted. I hate the hate.

It’s on both sides. Neither seems immune to hate. The winning party hates from a lofty, self-righteous, I-told-you-so pedestal and the losing party hates by spewing venom and sowing fear from underneath. And if the results had been reversed their reactions would have been identical, just from the opposite position. It’s disgusting. This hate is disgusting.

This morning I thought of sweet Kylie who would get physically ill when there was confrontation in our house. She couldn’t stand to know her people weren’t getting along. She hated hate. We called her our peacemaker because she would drag combatants to the table until issues were resolved. In so many ways I want to be like her.

I think what I am discovering is that we as a nation have stopped listening to each other. We don’t care what the other has to say.

“I am red and everyone else should be red, by God.”

“I am blue and everyone else should be blue, dammit.”

I’ve gotta tell you that I’m a little purple. I see merit in both.

Purple – It’s a perfectly acceptable color. Do some of you feel left out now that the vote is nearly 50/50 yet your side lost? If not this time, last time? We purple people feel left out, too – all the time. By any angle we are not in the majority. Because we just want to salvage love and dignity from the election every four years. We want Ward Cleaver, Andy Griffith, Rob Petry, or Carol Brady for president. Love and discretion, but above all, respect and consideration. Yeah, give us that.

This place would be a ton better if we would have a civil cup of coffee with someone who doesn’t agree with us or go have a beer with a guy who voted the opposite ticket.

Be purple. Love. Respect. Mend fences instead of building walls. That’s what we need to work toward. Hate the hate.

Don’t leave comments here, go say something nice to someone who doesn’t look or think like you.

Quiet Kindness

October 8, 2016.Reading time 1 minute.

Those of you who have read my blog for a while know of my mortal fear of sharks. So the feature image might not seem to match the title or my theme of shark avoidance and utter chickenness. But hold on, there is a point.

In this season of political ugliness, I just wanted to share some kindness. My family and I have been the recipient of so much of it over the past two years. The acts that speak volumes to me are often the simple, quiet touches that no one may ever hear about. There is much good out there.

I got a package in the mail after I wrote about my necklace – which is a substitute for the shark’s tooth necklace Kylie and I wanted. In it, were three teeth (that I’m sure were plucked from a live great white) and a very kind note. The sender and I are both parents. While one of us had no luck in finding and one found an abundance, each of us savored the special moments with our children – and that’s what it’s all about.