Captain’s Log – Day 60

Captain’s Log – Day 60

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope you had a good week and you are able to take the next couple of days off to recharge. Here in this upside down world, one thing is certain – every morning we wake up we can, without fail, count on new mercies and a fresh start. You are the boss of you and only you get to decide if you want to camp out and live in the grump and gloom (because there’s plenty of reasons to do that) or you can do whatever it takes to look up and search out the good stuff. The good stuff is still out there but it may be a little harder to see these days, especially if you just keep looking down and focusing on the gloom you’ll never get to see the sunshine and rainbows when they appear. You can still smile even if nobody will see it under a mask. Only you can decide what team you want to play on and I’ve been doing my very best to earn my spot on “Team Optimist” even when I don’t really feel like it. Every single day we get another shot to make things better, to bring a little sunshine into someone else’s life, to be there for a friend or family member, to be of service or to help a complete stranger out with a random act of kindness. You never know what a difference a kind word or a simple act of kindness can make. We can often find ourselves stuck in a rut, being grumpy and sad, haggard and weary, stressed and hanging on by a thread, broken and busted, unsure of what will happen and skeptical of what will come but we don’t have to stay there in the gloom. Each day you have an opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to seek out every tiny sliver of goodness there is to find.

In the toughest of times we get to find out who our true friends are but we may also be surprised to find friends we didn’t even realize we had. We can and often do take advantage of our long term friendships because those friends are just always there. We sometimes take them for granted and don’t feel the need to tell them how much they mean to us or how much we truly appreciate them. Then there are new friends who come along and they are more engaging and seem to pay more attention and make more of an effort to connect with us. Those newer friends likely show more interest in our stories because they never heard them before but that doesn’t mean our old friends don’t care as much, it just means they probably heard those stories a million times. We can become so comfortable in our old relationships that we stop working on them and stop showing our appreciation for them. I have been blessed with some amazing lifelong friends, some very special newer friends and people who I thought were mere acquaintances who showed up to take a spot on my special friends list.

I recently received a surprise delivery of these gorgeous roses from a beautiful, thoughtful soul who I don’t really know all that well. I was absolutely blown away by their kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness. I honestly couldn’t understand why they would take the time and spend the money to buy flowers for me. We’ve known each other for many years but I wouldn’t really say we were “friends” but we certainly are now. Their compassion and kind words helped to restore my faith in humanity and reminded me that the things we do and say matter. If you put good stuff out there, good stuff will surely come back to you. We don’t need to spend money or send gifts to show someone how much we value them, we just need to show up and be kind. We all have the ability to do that and I hope we will see more kindness and grace as we head back out in the world with a brand new appreciation of it and the people living in it with us. I’ve always loved surprising people with gifts on a random Wednesday instead of on a special occasion when gifts may be expected. When we show someone we are thinking about them for no good reason, it means so much more.

Real connections and real life is the best life and as many states start opening things up again we will have to make some tough decisions as we navigate the coming days and months of venturing out again. Our personal choices may not align with the choices others make. We may not agree with the people who rush out to go shopping, get their hair and nails done, go to a bar or club or have dinner inside a restaurant. Those people may even try to convince us to go out before we feel it is safe to do so. Always remember it is your choice to make for you and your family and no one else can tell you whether it is right or wrong. It’s entirely your choice. We are more than capable of making our own decisions and we need to trust our gut instincts. It would be really nice if there were no judgment from others and of others but that is not very likely. Humans like to judge and compare but it would be so much better if we just kept those judgments to ourselves and let people do what they think is right.

Whether we talk every day or once in a blue moon, I want you to know that I truly appreciate you and value our relationship. Thank you for being you.

I’d also like to remind each and every one of you to look up and find the good stuff, choose real life and real people, every single time, and twice on Sunday.

Take care my friends. Have a fantastic weekend, be safe and stay strong.

PS. If you need help finding some good stuff, you can always check out Some Good News - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOe_y6KKvS3PdIfb9q9pGug

Physically distant but socially engaged,
~MB