For several decades now
Generations have witnessed war and tragedy
Inside and out their front doors
What used to just be the evening news
Now a twenty-four hour cycle of coverage, debate, and speculation
What worked years ago now seems obsolete
And regardless of opinions and statistics
The outlook appears bleak
Moments of bliss are now followed by guilt
Gratitude, joy, pain, and suffering are a heavy hold
Compassion fatigue sets in
Simultaneously with, or followed by depression
The ebb and flows of life
Are not black and white
Coexist do darkness and light
It’s not wrong to grab and savor joy
A musical and/or sports fandom
Cozy reading
Delicious food
Movement
Belly laughing
Touch and physical closeness
New experiences
Nostalgia
Sparkles and glimmers
Dancing in technicolor
Joy is strength and respite
A buoyancy
What gives us the willpower to take action
When the world seems to be on its knees
And there is power in the collective people
Who come together
To take care of one another
And call for better
And while life is not a fairytale
The stories, romanticizing the every day, and child-like wonder
Sure make it a lot more interesting
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