Tuesday, October 20, 2020

2020

Without a doubt, 2020 has been a curious and sobering year with the broad strokes of the pandemic brushing across the earth. Observing local, national, and international governments respond to the challenge of the dreadful virus has caused many people to reevaluate their own priorities. It seems newsworthy [not really] that celebrities are turning to new endeavors of cooking, gardening, fine art, and writing the next Great American Novel. On the newsfeeds that I monitor most of the publishing news has centered on a few political tell-all works that came out this year.

I asked myself who would buy those books? Who would think that one Washington person would be any more accurate or truthful than the person they are spilling the beans on? In general, those books vilify the subject and propose sainthood for the writer. I am particularly appalled that anyone with moral fiber would write or publish a book claiming to be a former friend. News flash to their current friends: You’re next!

RISE UP. We always told our children that the goal was to be better than us, to move the family up: to be kinder, more compassionate, to give more effort, to do more, to be smarter. RISE UP. That is what comes to my mind when I hear people complain about their lot in life. RISE UP. Life isn’t without difficult challenges. RISE UP. Meet them head-on. RISE UP. Do it. Pass it on.