It's Friday.....

Hey y’all. It’s Friday.

It’s Friday and there is a lot of shit happening. And I wanted to send a quick update to do two things. First, to remind you of something important. The second, and by far the more important, is to ask you to share something good today.

I know I don’t usually send two updates in a week. But this felt like the time to break some rules.

It’s Friday and there is a lot of shit happening. There is a redistricting fight in North Carlina that could change our representation in Congress considerably. There are still millions of people who believe that Donald Trump was cheated out of the Presidency. There are more than 2,000 people a day dying of Covid (almost certainly an undercount) and states and cities across the country are eliminating mask mandates and going back to business as usual. I have no idea why 2,000 people a day dying became something we just… ignored. Yet that has happened, despite my incredulity. Just like climate change, systemic racism, institutional misogyny, disinformation, political polarization and social upheaval.

And, of course, there is now a full-blown war in the Ukraine

There are crises internationally and nationally, and challenges closer to home at the state and local level. There are challenges for us all - global and personal.

I honestly think it’s remarkable that we all don’t go live in the woods.

Over the last few years there has been a whole Greek chorus of people telling us that it is our “responsibility” to pay attention to all the bad things that are happening. To bear witness to the pain and the suffering and the war all around us.

Bullshit.

Please hear me when I say this is bullshit. You don’t have to pay attention to anything you don’t want to. Your attention is the only thing that is totally, completely and wholly YOURS. You get to do with it whatever you wish.

Your experience is what you pay attention to. If you want to follow every development in the Ukraine, then your experience will be one of war and trauma.

I am not saying to be ignorant of what is happening in the world. Some of us do not have that luxury. These things affect us and the people we love directly.

And.

You get to choose how much of your attention to give it. And when someone says “do NOT look away!” you can kindly tell them to fuck all the way off because no one gets to tell you how to spend your attention. It is yours. YOU decide.

You get to decide who is worthy of your time and attention. What projects, jobs, apps, channels, movies, pastimes or people. YOU decide. Don’t let anyone scold you or tell you what you should and should not do with the only thing that is yours.

It’s Friday and there is a lot of shit happening. And YOU get to decide which parts of it to pay attention to.

It’s Friday and there is a lot of shit happening. And some of that shit is good. Some of it, in fact, absolutely rocks. Nothing is ever all one thing. Not even hard times.

So go ahead. Tell somebody. You can tell your good thing in the comments section of this newsletter. You can share your win on the social media channel of your choice. You can tell someone special to you that you kicked some ass and took some names. You can say a silent prayer of thanks.

However you choose to do it, please take some time on this Friday to share something positive with the world about your week. Brag on yourself or someone else. Talk about the $20 you found in a jacket you hadn’t worn in a while. Tell someone that you love them.

Share something positive.

It’s Friday and there is a lot of shit happening.

Let’s make some of it good.

What was the best part of your week?