I originally wrote this post in 2021 and thought it might be good to revisit it (with a few tweaks and different turns). This is my 52^nd blog post since the 2023 election aftermath. As the year approaches completion, I urge you to keep on being positive and enjoy the individual moments you have in this lifetime.

Remember when we thought we had a “crew”? When we believed we were important enough to have others follow us? Remember when we felt like we were part of the crowd that would make a difference? Make changes in the world? Alas, when the attack on the capital occurred on January 6, 2021, the crazies came out of the woodwork and attacked a sacred place, a place of our democracy. It was a wakeup call. Many of us didn’t understand that this was not the crew we should be a part of. Many of us woke up and recognized that we weren’t all kind human beings. It was a warning for each person watching those escapades to complete a soul search of what we really believe, what is right and just, and who our crew should be.

The crew that attacked the capital instantly went to the belief that they were in the right. They believed in something that was made up and thus justified their hate and actions. They believed what they thought their parents taught them. The group mentality took over and they reacted in the worst kind of way. They were not in the right, and they were not justified in their actions.

It made me question my ancestry and their ideas of what the world should become. After this sad escapade, I tried to ignore that I was born in the south with all of its entanglements, and then I asked myself: Am I my mother’s child? For a long time, I didn’t think so. I kept telling everyone I am different, that I was born into the wrong family. I believed that some higher being was playing a practical joke on me. I told myself that I was making the right choices, albeit quite different from my family, and telling others all about how I had lived my life. I was so righteous inside my head. There was always that “Yeah, but” echo in my head, though. I now know my ancestry and understand that some of their beliefs and actions were simply wrong. I gave myself a wakeup call. I reconciled that I have my parents’ genes, but I have grown in my thinking over the years and tried to make the best of a blend of their ideas, morphing them into a new way of looking at the world. I constructed a reasonable solution as to who I am and what I believe.

So now I am asking the rest of the world: Have you found perspective later in life and found your voice to express it? We struggle each day to find the right words and actions. We struggle to become the person we think we are. We struggle to find that kindred spirit in our new crew, those who understand our words. We begin to learn how to portray the meaning of those words correctly. Each day is a challenge – trying to find a groove that makes sense.

Today, we must acknowledge that we have the choice to blend beautiful old traditions with new and innovative ideas. We can move forward to understand what others have suffered and begin reparations. Today is the day to move onto greater thoughts and actions. We must persevere through the tough times once again, and turn the negative thinking to positive action, even if it’s simply a small act of kindness each day.

Make your life better by letting go. Think locally and how it will affect global decisions. Ask your local government to start moving on change, working together and not constantly argue about silliness just to be obstreperous. In my day, we always had a saying to “Check your ego at the door.” Ask local officials to do the same, to work on big picture items that will make change. Train people and have expectations of them to complete those expectations. Commit to a “no whining” policy from every worker and supervisor. Train people and work together. Do the job you were hired to do. Help the police and ask them to collaborate with you and other agencies to look for peaceful solutions. Policy has to be changed. Make a policy for survival of the people who live in their jurisdictions. Try to find the agitators who usurp peaceful negotiations. Ask them “Why are you doing what you do?” Help create peaceful solutions and assuage violence and frustration reactions. Cast off old ways of thinking. Get out there and create something such as programs that focus on education, mental health, and solutions for the unhoused. Help all those in need. If you are retired, volunteer so you appreciate young people and create an environment where they appreciate you. Make a difference ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Find a friend who makes you laugh. Love the kid you have:

Shut out the world, walk the dog, have a great meal, and laugh at all the ignorant people who refuse to learn. Forget and forgive all the past hurts, for at least one hour a day. Because your friends think you are the toughest person you know, be that person – you don’t need validation from the ones you love. Organize everything inside and outside your head and heart. Even if you want to give up to all the negative things that are still happening, say to yourself: “Today is not the day to give up. Today is not the day to die. Shout to the Ravens: “You won’t be able to pluck out my eyeballs today!”

This is a new era. We can only hope for peace and love, knowing that we have a long road ahead of us. I send out my love and kindness to all those out there in this big old world.