Good morning, Tuesday. It's a steamy day in the big city and there's a haze on the buildings and in the air that feels positively stifling. And it's not only the weather that's making me sweat this morning- it's yet another horrific tragedy- this time at the hands of Mother Nature, in Oklahoma.
It's really hard being a human these days. I know it's always been hard but it's undeniably so right here, right now. Life on this here planet has gotten way too extreme- the weather, the health scares, the threat of enemies that live within our very own neighborhoods. I'm not sure what to do or how to process it all. I recently saw Louis CK perform and he mentioned that we as humans have it so much easier, because we're no longer part of the food chain, being chased by predatory dinosaurs or some such. I guess that's true, but it sure doesn't feel that way. And as someone who's a bit older than younger, I can't help but feel great sadness for the young ones- they're growing up with so much crazy shit it's hard to keep track of it all. Is tragedy their new normal? Is there ever going to be some good news? How do you embrace the innocence of youth when innocence has been taken away?
Yes there's those magical stories like the elderly woman I just watched, amidst all that rubble, find her dog alive underneath a pile of destruction where her house once stood. And there's those wonderful stories of first responders racing to the scene in Boston, Oklahoma, and countless other places. I'm just wondering how we come to terms with all of this madness. The empathy for humankind and its many woes is overwhelming. And though I'm smiling and hanging out at work, it's just challenging not to feel so very much. It's hard enough to survive on the regs, but why must the news always be so awful? Every day we're challenged to live our lives, but lately I feel like the grief we feel overpowers everything else. It's a bad trip. So incredibly sad for my fellow Americans in Oklahoma, who just yesterday were watching the news and thinking "not me this time" over some other terrible story. And then the storm came.
I guess in the face of such odds we need to hang together and unite in our compassion and empathy. That's not going to stop people that hate us or global warming or anything else. But our ability to face such things is going to have to be fueled by our love and kindness. There's no other way because the news is not getting better and rather than crawling into a cave and never turning on the TV or computer again, we can't avoid the constant bombardment of bad. We all do what we have to do, but if you're like me, you're scratching your head about how much more of this we can take. Love and compassion for all of our fellow human beings who are facing great loss today. I'm with you, and though I may be smiling, I am indeed close to tears. I'm going to try and live in the place of kindness and hope today. It's the only way. Cause that's what's up this what's going on in this world kind of Tuesday in the 212. Spread some love and think of others today. XO