Wow, the world’s current state of affairs is like a roller coaster ride! We anxiously wonder what will happen next, as if a big bad wolf lurks around the corner. The world is also a sad place for many people now. Some probably feel shattered, like broken plates, when they learn the rug was pulled out from under them
The vortex of bad news can swirl a person down into an ugly trap if they are not careful. The fix for that is to consciously shift the focus to the bright side of life. It works! For example, the other day Jim said “Just look at all the things humans get to drink. The other animals only get water”. That statement struck me like a lightning bolt. I remembered when I worked at Murray’s Drug and I read the OLCC’s list of approved spirits. The list was eight pages long. Vodka, gin, tequila, whiskey, rum, brandy and liqueurs – everything you could imagine and more. The OLCC carries only a fraction of the spirits available in the world. Add to that list sodas, teas, coffee, juices, sparkling waters and milks, all in a wide variety of flavors.
Randal and I made a plan to make glazed donuts with a gadget I bought at a thrift store last week. I sorted through all my flavorings: maple, vanilla, chocolate, peppermint, lemon, almond, bacon (yes, bacon – it’s for barbeque sauce). Flavorings are just one category of all the foods we have available to eat.
My mind jumped back to the time I went to a trade show hosted by UNFI, the wholesale food distributor that supplies grocery stores. The show was in the Oregon Convention Center’s cavernous ballroom. Vendors brought all their wares and the selection was enormous. Take McCormick for example. Your local grocery store may only carry thirty items in their product line because that’s all the shelf space the store has. But I discovered McCormick’s entire product line included hundreds of foods. I visited a vendor who sold dozens of varieties of gourmet rice. Yes, dozens. The trade show was so over the top of the top it almost shook me out of my shoes.
The next time you get grumpy when the headlines flash chaotic, angry vitriol across the screen, stop for a moment and notice all the excess. It’s a privilege to live here on Mother Earth and in the western world. We are so accustomed to our incredible bounty, it’s easy to take it for granted. The next time the big bad wolf headlines make you anxious, just wink, turn around and walk away. You’ll be glad you did!