Good As Gold

On my way home yesterday, the day after voting/election day, standing on the curb, in front of the square, was one man, all alone, holding a sign that simply said THANK YOU, in large bold letters. I couldn't tell by his shirt which candidate he was representing, or even if he, himself was THE candidate. But by standing there, he was doing two very important things at once:

#1 He was thanking everyone for allowing him, his words, and his promises and efforts, to seem relevant.

#2 He was letting everyone know who may have voted for him, that he was thanking them, letting them know that they were appreciated and relevant as well.

That's all anyone really wants in life. To know that they are worthy, appreciated, and relevant. They appreciate being acknowledged for making the effort, going that extra mile, and being available when needed. So, when we, as people, can't seem to show that respect and appreciation; well, that’s what is wrong with the human race in general right now.

It's everyone’s job to make folks feel relevant and appreciated, and when we don't, we appear to be unaware of anyone's worth. It just doesn't get any more disrespectful than that.

I had experienced a really bad day that particular day. The world seems to be taken over by youth who think they know everything, disregard age and its wisdom, and ignore the pots of gold, often standing or sitting right beside them, that hold years of mistakes and solutions/recoveries that could be to their advantage if they would only be still. And listen.

I would later, that same evening, find out that the man I saw standing on that curb was Charlie Frost, the actual candidate himself. Evidently, half of Quincy had also seen him and filled my Face Book post with accolades for Mr. Frost. And crazily enough, the comments weren’t about his politics, but instead, who is he as a person - they all shared with me what a wonderful and kind human being that Charlie Frost is to them and it would seem, to anyone he comes in contact with.

So, I thank that one lone man for standing on that curb that afternoon. I needed to see him that day, especially then; I needed to feel better about human beings, even if it were only for that last few minutes it took me to get home. I saw it, I knew it, and more importantly, for those few minutes, I believed it.

I rarely push folks to check anyone out; whether it’s a television show, a book, or a writer; but I am about to do just that.  Because the next day when I opened my email, (divine intervention) Sean Dietrich, author of Sean of the South, had written a column just for me. I needed it, and I thank him for it. He talked me off the ledge of ugliness, and hopefully his words will help me to be more forgiving and less angry going forward, because the latter emotion is neither healthy or positive.

This is the link to that particular column – check him out: http://seandietrich.com/hey/