Whew, the last couple of weeks have been exhausting and I haven’t quite been able to pinpoint why. I mean, aside from a flurry of visitors, visits, raising two small “leaders”, working, and supporting my husband through med school… Okay, you probably get the gist.

So, I’ll just say I fell into a funk. A funk of looking around and feeling like I’m drifting away from people I hold dear. A funk of looking at the news and seeing little happiness going on in the world. Racism, death, murder, tragedy, children lost, children dying, animals tortured, and everyone just pointing fingers everywhere, anywhere but at themselves. Negative comments here and there, people being people, which means they’re just generally being ugly to each other. Nurse in public, don’t nurse in public, breasts are nasty, people are nasty, watch your children, children are noisy we don’t want them here, don’t take them to restaurants, do take them to restaurants, not those restaurants, what kind of parent, person, human being do you think really you are?

In that clammering noise of “LISTEN TO ME! MY VOICE IS RIGHT! MY OPINION IS THE RIGHT ONE!”, I got a little lost in feeling inadequate with my messy house, my noisy (wonderful) children, and my foot halfway here and halfway to nowhere.

And all I can really say is: Why the hell do I read the news, or hell, social media anymore? Why do people feel the need to constantly dictate what other people should do with their lives and bodies? It’s horribly depressing. Not at all good for creative spirits, and thus, I’ve written nothing in the last few weeks. Well, okay, if I’m being honest, I did write one poem that was too depressing to publish.

So, in light of all this, I think I’ve generated a new guideline for myself when reading the news or commentary on social media site: JUST DON’T.

Also, I have my own rule about how to behave nicely in public with or without children or around people that are not like yourself:

1) Be nice and courteous. Do NOT (however tempted you may be) make rules for other people or judge other people by your standards. You never know what’s going on in their life, and some day, you may need folks to be lenient with you when your life turns low. Their skin is different? Doesn’t matter. Be nice and courteous. Their accent is different? Still doesn’t matter. Be nice and courteous. They’re rude to you? Well, f*&$ that, but STILL be nice and courteous. It’s hard, but grit your teeth and try.

There. That’s it. Should be simple, right? It’s the simple rule I’m trying to teach my daughter. Be nice. Play nice. Smile and, eventually, the world will smile with you. And if they don’t, they were never going to be nice anyway, and we’ll have the satisfaction of knowing we did our best.

In the words of my favorite anime character: “Love and peace!”