Every Friday, we try to lighten the mood a bit from our weightier discussions earlier in the week. It's not always an easy task, given the myriad number of challenges facing our country, and facing some of our friends, for that matter.
There were more storms in the Midwest last night, and some damage did take place in the neighborhood of someone we know, down in Kansas. The floods are decimating the lives of many we know near the Missouri River. Parts of Interstates 29 and 680 along the Iowa-Nebraska border are closing due to the flooding, something none of us can ever remember having happened before. There are droughts in Florida, and DC has been uncomfortably hot far too early in the season.
Those are just the weather-related issues. Don't even get us started about the actions of our media colleagues, the economic forecasts stuck in neutral, or a jobless situation that makes us want to blow our tops.
With having to deal with all these frustrating issues and more, it's more important than ever to find things in life that recharge everyone's spirit.
The things that recharge you don't always have to be major events, like those we mentioned last Friday, to fill up our emotional and spiritual energy.
Sometimes, it's enough to spend time with our friends and family, or even talking to them on the phone. Gardening, walking through the neighborhood with our spouse or a friend, or just sitting and reading a good book (whether in paper or Kindle form).
Something else we've found that helps recharge us at times like this is tuning out the distractions. Turn off the computer, Facebook and Twitter - even the cell phone- for a while this weekend. Turn off the tv, unless you have it on to specifically watch something like a movie. Ignore the news for a day or two, and even click the radio off.
Whatever activities you engage in to gain some clarity in your life, we hope you take some time - or that you make some time - this weekend to do those things.
And don't worry about missing anything. The world will still be here on Monday - and we will too.
