"Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it."
—Ray Bradbury
Change is coming. Do you feel it?
Does anyone else feel like something wicked this way comes? Not wicked, in an evil way, really, but in a more...radical way?
I was watching an Allstate commercial this weekend, and it talked about how much this past year has changed all of us. Family time means more board games and meat loaf and less box seats and filet mignon. Cars are purchased because they can get you somewhere, not because they show how far you've come. Things aren't taken for granted. Coupon clipping is no longer for the kleptomaniacs. Christmas this year was slimmer, but I didn't really hear anyone complain. Times like these are humbling. It seems like more and more, high-maintenance people are seen with sadness, not scorn or jealousy. Not sadness because not everything wanted can be had, but sadness because they have all they want but are still unhappy.
Last week, I brought out my brother's old set of lincoln logs, probably more than a decade old, and spent two hours building a fortress. I have discount cards to at least 5 grocery stores, and don't mind store brand. It's not a crime to be frugal, and it seems like more people are starting to realize this, whether they're short on cash or not.
This is what I'm seeing more of. People aren't just taking everything they're told. They're questioning tradition because I believe they're starting to see the corruption. I think people are ready for a change.
I'm not talking about the change we're being fed by the government. Why has government become a dirty word? They're no longer who we look to for protection and correction. We fear their interference and decisions. People are making change for themselves. They don't want fakes and scams. They want the real thing. Not even the real thing! They want something that works. I think people are growing tired of get-rich-quick schemes. Tired of smooth-talkers and shiny new do-nothings. People are taking a bit better care of themselves, and a bit better care of others.
I don't know, but I guess I'm rambling a bit here. I mean, there are still plenty of jerks and snobs and wasters out there, but what truly makes me happy is seeing good people. The teenage boy who opens the door for a mother with a stroller, the woman who buys an extra sandwich for the homeless man outside, the teenage girl knitting hats for the local orphanage. It makes me so happy that these things actually still happen. It's like, the world is not lost. Miracles still happen. Good people still roam the earth, doing random quiet acts of kindness. There's a website, called http://www.givesmehope.com/ . If you ever want warm fuzzies, read a few of these. They can brighten any day. I think change is coming. I think the me generation is making way to a you generation. I think that people are learning to work smart, not hard, and that the next generation is one of problem solvers. We may not be the ones who can do it, but we can at least work towards figuring out an answer. I think people are starting to realize that we don't have to go back to the past, but maybe the past way of looking forward isn't so bad.
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By the way, for those of you waiting on pins and needles, No, I have not heard back from any colleges yet.
