Stirred, not shaken

When your goal is to highlight the humorous, 3 times a week; to hopefully bring at least a smile to the folks who somehow stumble on whatever it is you’ve left behind that day, it can get a little dicey when the ugly side of reality takes precedence.

I don’t need to elaborate on what I’m talking about. By now you’ve seen and heard wall to wall coverage. It’s impossible to miss as the networks scramble to claim “Go To” status for breaking news.

There are just some things—unexpected things—that catch you so off guard, your body parts numb...including your funny bone…especially your funny bone.   

It’s kind of subtle and for the most part no one really notices.

We shake our heads, sigh the sigh of the resigned…and keep moving…numbness and all.

We’re well practiced; we’ve seen a lot and lived through a lot of Before and After’s.

To my generation, our first was...before 11/22/63 and after 11/22/63.

Our world changed that day; our innocence lost…but we moved on.

Before the spring and summer of 68—MLK & RFK and after the spring and summer of 68—MLK & RFK.

Before the 72 Munich Olympics and after the 72 Munich Olympics.

Before Jonestown and after Jonestown.

Before that December night at the Dakota and after that December night at the Dakota.

Before Challenger and after Challenger.

Before Lockerbie and after Lockerbie

Before Oklahoma City and after Oklahoma City

Before Columbine and after Columbine

Before 9/11 and after 9/11

Before Virginia Tech and after Virginia Tech

Before Aurora and after Aurora

Before Newtown and after Newtown

Before Boston and after Boston

We’ve been through a lot.  And with every event, we lose a little, harden a little and transform a little...as individuals, as a group.

I’ve probably missed something and haven’t even mentioned the evil that’s happened and still happens, every day, all around the world that most of us barely acknowledge…until it hits in our backyards.

I guess it’s how we’ve evolved through all of it…because of all of it.

We know that evil comes in droplets and good comes in waves.

Evil announces with a boom...good with a whisper.

Evil shakes us….good stirs us.

It stirs us to move forward…it stirs us to strengthen our bonds…it stirs us together…to see the hope that rises, always swallowing the bad.

And eventually we laugh again…and slowly begin to heal.

It’s what we do…it’s how we are…it’s how we have to be.

Stirred, not shaken.

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