Choosing gift wrap and Christmas cards seems awfully insignificant in light of current events. American universities, Bondi Beach, Los Angeles.
I remember the first time I watched The Princess Bride, Rob Reiner’s 1987 fantasy-adventure classic. It was part of Lauren Davis’s DVD collection. My then-husband and I were staying at Erin and Rob’s cottage. I pulled the DVD out of a basket and popped it into the player. We were enchanted, amused, surprised – all of those things. It’s such a great film and I’ve watched it many times since.
I could spend days talking about Reiner’s movies but I don’t think I need to. It might seem silly to point it out, but Michele Reiner spelled her name with one l. Many outlets are spelling it wrong. (My middle name is a single l Michele.)
You can’t compare tragedies. Each is its own horror. As many people have pointed out, the antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach, Australia could easily have been even worse. Ahmed al-Ahmed, a fruit and vegetable vendor, charged one of the gunmen and wrestled away his gun. We can imagine what went through his mind. “I might get killed, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to stop this.” He’s recovering from two bullet wounds. He’s a hero.
Look for the helpers. That’s what Mr. Rogers’ mother told him. So, I keep looking for them.
This isn’t a comprehensive roundup of all of the recent horrors around the world. Far from it. And there’s nothing you and I can do about what happened to the Reiners. But we can make our voices heard about guns and hate. If someone tells a joke about Jewish people, speak out. It matters. In fact, put any protected characteristic in place of “Jewish” and still, we should speak up. I don’t care if it makes me seem humourless. (I’m far from it.) I’m more than fed up with people getting murdered in the names of prejudice and hate. We all should be.
Thanks Lisa for your thoughts. ❤️
It can be such a stress heavy time of year with the season (both holidays & winter) and then top it off with so much horrible news that you sometimes can’t avoid while restricting your self to exposure. One can feel very overwhelmed at times. So important to take time to look for those helpers, find joy in the little things, surround yourself with good people and take the time for quiet time for you. Just being kind goes such a long way too.
Have a gentle day ❤️
Carolyn
You are so right, Carolyn. We can’t let ourselves get hardened by what’s going on. I saw something the other day that I thought was wise. It was from a parenting account I follow on Instagram called Big Little Feelings and it was something like, we aren’t here to toughen children against the evils of the world. We’re here to raise children who bring kindness and compassion to the world.
Days later, I am still numb. Honest question: How do you fight the numbness, prevent it from making you feel useless? I don’t want to be frozen by despair.
By concentrating on gratitude. It’s the only way I’ve found.