Turning on the news these days is like opening a bag filled with meat that’s been sitting in a forgotten ice chest for three days.
Awful.
To describe the surge in coronavirus cases, reporters use phrases like “skyrocketing and unprecedented reported cases” and that officials are “extraordinarily distressed” and “in crisis.”
In Texas, coronavirus cases are up over 11,000 and Fort Bend County reported an increase of 54 cases. There are hospital beds, but there won’t be for long, states worried news anchors.
College students in California are being told to stay put for the holidays, and rumors are circulating of a shutdown tougher than the one we had in March.
Elementary students are falling behind in school, teens feel isolated and alone when they’ve chosen virtual learning over face-to-face class time and college football stadiums are the loneliest million-dollar places in town.
Beloved personalities like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Congressman John Lewis passed away.
On the entertainment front, “Jeopardy’s” Alex Trebek, “Black Panther’s” Chadwick Boseman and musicians Doug Supernaw and Eddie Van Halen passed away as did NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and former Miss America Phyllis George.
We had a full moon and Friday the 13th on the same day, and not one but two hurricanes caused significant damage along the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Iota is slamming – yes, that’s the word the weather people use – through Central America, and we’re running out of names for hurricanes for the first time ever.
But my youngest granddaughter has not let the bad news get her down. At the age of 7-1/2, Katherine is an optimistic and happy child. She looks for the good in people and in every situation that comes her way.
Rainy day? She’s in the middle of the yard, covered in mud from head to foot and perfectly happy.
On cold days, she loves drinking hot chocolate with about 50 marshmallows in the cup. While others see a rocky road, she sees opportunity for painting those rocks and turning them into works of art.
We had to go to the grocery store while she was visiting this past weekend. I have a selection of masks in my car featuring flowers, animals and super heroes. She chose one with bright yellow flowers.
As she pushed the basket down the aisle, she enthusiastically greeted every person who came her way.
Her smile and happy attitude came through the mask as her voice carried genuine happiness. Most people wished her a great day as well, and one young woman was particularly taken with Katherine’s cheeriness.
“Well good morning to you too,” she said as she stopped and looked at Katherine. “You sure are in a good mood.”
Katherine didn’t miss a beat.
“I am because it’s a great day and I hope you have a great day too,” she said bouncing up and down. The woman laughed out loud and told Katherine her day was definitely better because she was lucky enough to have met her.
I learned a lot from my granddaughter that day. Happiness is ours every single day if we allow ourselves to find the joy.
If we allow ourselves to wallow in the sad, that’s where we’ll stay.
We can spread that happiness by still wishing other people a good day and refusing to isolate ourselves any more than we already are.
We need each other. We need to look for the good because the wonderful is out there. Sometimes all we need is a young child to remind us that happiness starts in our hearts and to not let a mask or gloom and doom steal our joy.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.