Well, that's over. I need a nap.
As you read this, I'm recovering from yet another election night, probably with the help of a great deal of chocolate. Regardless of who won or lost, there's no more electioneering for a while (except the person on a perpetual campaign). Yea!
So what's been happening while our attention's been diverted by all the hate and fearmongering that have come to make up modern politics? Wonderful, and sometimes wonderfully weird, things.
In Seal Beach, Calif., customers of Donut City have been buying doughnuts by the dozen so that owner John Chhan can be with his wife Stella at a rehab center where she's recovering from a brain aneurysm. Once the pastries are sold out for the day, Chhan closes the shop.
Customers had offered to start a GoFundMe page for the Chhans, but he declined, saying he'd rather have extra time with his wife ... so that's what his patrons are giving him. Dawn Caviola, who first suggested in a blog post that regulars buy out Chhan's inventory as soon as possible each day, told NBC: "People can just do a simple thing for their neighbors. There are people who don't even eat sugar who are buying doughnuts from Mr. Chhan and giving them out to strangers."
That's the sort of thing that makes you remember that some people are still in touch with their humanity. Let's hope more people remember theirs.
The spirit of community could also be seen in Southampton, England, as a chain of people passed books from the old location of October Books down the block to its new location. The bookstore and nonprofit cooperative had struggled with increasing rent, but was able with community support to raise enough money to buy a former bank building. According to The Washington Post, the co-op owners had estimated it would take two hours to move all the books, but so many people showed up that they managed it in an hour.
As volunteers posted on Twitter afterwards, "THAT is community, friends."
A Scottish community of another sort caused some problems recently when a fisherman had to be rescued from a cliff after having fled a colony of, according to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, "50 aggressive seals" on the beach.
Perhaps if he hadn't been taking their fish, barking at them, and giving them balls to balance on their noses they wouldn't have been as aggressive. Who likes being mocked?
In southern Australia, when they aren't dealing with koalas sitting in the middle of the road just chillin' (yes, really), residents deal with all sorts of not-so-cute creatures. (Why does it seem so much of Australia's wildlife wants to kill us? The cuteness of quokkas and koalas makes up for some of it, but still ...) Home security footage captured a 9-year-old Shiba Inu named Chardy battling a venomous eastern brown snake trying to enter her family's Truro home. UPI reported that Chardy was victorious, but did have to be treated with antivenin.
Chardy is a very good and brave girl and deserves all the scritches, treats and tummy rubs she gets. And no laughing at her when she hides from thunder.
Just across the sea from Australia, Wellington, New Zealand, will celebrate its first Manaaki Day next Friday, inspired by 6-year-old Eddie Writes' plea to the mayor for a day to encourage and celebrate acts of charity. Manaaki is the Maori word for kindness. Among Writes' ideas was, "We can buy toys for children that don't have any."
Eddie's mom, writer and feminist Emily Writes, told the Huffington Post: "I am pleased to see a change in politics in New Zealand that I hope focuses more on listening. Kindness should be what politics is all about. When you become a politician, it shouldn't be for money or power or privilege--it should be because you had a dream right from childhood that you could work with others to make our world better."
Manaaki Day might remind Arkansans of the late Jennings Osborne's entreaty to perform random acts of kindness. We could use some more of that right now.
A little kindness can make all the difference.
It's hard sometimes to remember that not everything revolves around politics, and that's a shame. We're at our best when we just relate to each other as fellow humans and leave politics out of it. Most of us probably have friends we don't discuss politics with. Some of us even do it by choice rather than because mentioning something political will send the other person into a tizzy.
Maybe we should more consciously aspire to wall off politics ... and while we're at it, try not to be so defensive and easily offended. It's exhausting to keep track of who's ticked off by what.
We should be more open, not just to welcoming others into our orbits, but also to new ideas. If we can bond over the little things like barbecue (pulled pork or chicken for me, please), maybe we can find room to work together on the bigger things.
Compromise isn't so bad, really. And it's much better than stewing in anger and fear.
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Assistant Editor Brenda Looper is editor of the Voices page. Read her blog at blooper0223.wordpress.com. Email her at blooper@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 11/07/2018