Today saw the aftermath of the Presidential election of 2016 – the most divisive in our lifetime. Both sides were equally nasty and ugly to each other, that has sadly become the norm that we accept from politicians and brush off. After the results came in, half the country was elated and ready for change; the other half was shocked and in despair.
Then it started…..
I saw many of the people that had called for ‘restraint’ and ‘acceptance of the outcome’ do just the opposite. (Did they really only mean it as instruction to others and not pertaining to themselves??) I saw those that had chanted ‘love over hate’ turn to hate and call everyone that did not agree with them racist and bigoted. I saw people ignore truth right in front of them and see only what they were told to see. It broke my heart. I want for us to understand why, so that if we don’t agree, we can do better next time. I want for us to BE THE CHANGE for the things we see wrong with the world. I’ll have more on this at another time. Collective hearts aren’t ready to listen to real reason yet. Let them mourn. We’ll all still be here with open arms when it’s time.
I also saw love and joy and hope and THAT is where I will focus.
After a day of filtering all sorts of opinions and data and WORK, it was time to go home. Between navigating the politics of corporate America and trying to offer some comedic and refocusing relief to some in my social circle, I was pooped! I rode the train through Dallas in my normal state of bubbledom, alternating between people watching and mobile phone watching. As I walked to my car, a girl spoke to me and asked me about my shoes.
A note about my shoes today….this was the first time I wore them, they were brand new. They were also a pair that were part of a wardrobe challenge I have been taking part of, so they were a little out of my normal style comfort zone. I liked them, but they were ‘first wear’ hurting and I was just thinking whether or not I should just stick to my known zone. You know, it’s so easy just to stay in our comfort zones!
Anyway, back to her. She asked where I got them and stated how much she liked them. She had a similar pair, but they were a different color and not as cool as mine, according to her. I smiled, my heart smiled a little. It felt good. We continued walking to our cars and lamented a bit that it was only Wednesday, but we were sure that we could make it to Friday and then we’d have the weekend. We mentioned how everyone was talking about that crazy election and ‘could you believe it?’ and we were both certain we are all going to make it. Then we saw we parked next to each other and laughed how it was meant to be! A sweet and fun moment with a stranger whose name I will never know. I will also never know her opinion about the outcome of the election.
Now the kicker is that this was a girl from a completely opposite demographic from me. If you were a stereotyping kind of person, you may have put us each in one camp or the other. But neither of us did that and shared some joy, even if things didn’t go the way one, both or neither of us wanted in the past 24 hours. (This is where I have to say, please don’t assume to know what I wanted the outcome to be unless you’ve heard me express it explicitly – my ability to empathize and understand both sides does not indicate a leaning either way.)
What I’m trying to illustrate and that the universe showed me again today is this – we get back exactly what we give out. Put out disdain and judgement and that is what you will focus on; put out goodness and hope, and you’ll see it everywhere. It’s kind of like when you buy a purple car – all of a sudden there are purple cars everywhere!! It’s not an exact science, and being generally positive never means bad things won’t happen, but you get the idea.
So please….stop focusing on the negative. See the good, even in the bad. It’s there. It’s always there. And if you can’t see it, try moving the mirror out of the way first.
Feel free to leave comments, especially if you have ideas how to be the good and do good! Make it a great day!
It’s CFRS – positively.