‘PAUL’ IT ALL TOGETHER: How To Face A Bag Of Mixed Nuts

By CHARLENE PAUL

Moapa Valley Progress

Glance through your favorite form of social media, watch the news or listen to talk radio, and you might come away with the feeling that the world is just one big bag of mixed nuts. There is more information than any one person could synthesize in a lifetime, and a lot of that information is confusing and contradictory. Rants about dating, politics, and, well, ranting are rampant. Memes mocking everyone and everything, from the President of the United States, the Democrats, and the Republicans, to moms, dads, and people who can’t spell. Breast-feeding versus bottle-feeding beatdowns, safe space issues, and name-calling are everyday occurrences in the wacky world of media.

In the past week, I have learned so much, like soy might be better than meat, there are 7,000 ways to make cleaning house easier and more efficient, getting flat abs and a toned tush is as easy as doing 750 crunches and walking 20 miles on a daily basis, and the best way to make friends is to apply a rigorous algorithm anyone with a doctorate in physics can understand. Free speech is alive and well as long as everyone agrees with everything everyone else says, parents who really care about their daughters will gladly mortgage their house in order to fund a once-in-a-lifetime dream wedding – or first year birthday party, and women’s purses are actually portable black holes.

I took one of those Facebook tests to see which celebrity I resemble, and found out Taylor Swift and I could be twins. Another test assured me I am one of only a thousand people who know what southern slang words mean. Still another showed me what I would look like if I were to wake up as a man. Let’s just say, I’m glad I woke up this morning as me.

Reading a little further down the list, I learned that dogs are really people, cats are really royalty, and squirrels can stuff their weight in nuts in their cheek pouches. I am warned about Nigerian princes, and I see that cupcakes are no longer something to be enjoyed with a scoop of ice cream.

There are stories that spew nothing but angry rhetoric, and others that exploit the sufferings of our fellow human beings. Sensational headlines, unimaginable anger, and explosive rhetoric clog the newsfeeds and the newsreels.

But sandwiched ever-so-carefully within the midst of all that stuff are gentle reminders that, although life isn’t perfect, there are good things happening all around us. I see pictures of my grandchildren playing in the mud, running through the splash pad, swinging on swings, and stepping on ants. I read about heroic actions of complete strangers. I see beautiful desert sunsets. I connect with friends I’ve grown to love. I learn about new inventions, delicious recipes, and 100 things I can do with a clothes hanger. I laugh at silly jokes and goofy comedy sketches. I am reminded that my husband needs attention, that it’s okay to take some time for myself, and that God isn’t dead.

I have always wondered what our world would look like if we focused less on what is wrong and more on what is right. It seems like the more the focus is on what is wrong, the more wrongs we find. Negativity feeds negativity, and it is getting a pretty steady diet right now. What if we were to starve negativity and feed the positive aspects of life – would that make a difference?

Now, before you think I’m some addle-brained Pollyanna, let me assure you that I am painfully aware that things are falling apart around us. I am acutely aware that people are less than perfect. I am keenly aware that we are a very divided nation right now. But I am tired of that focus. I am worn out and fatigued by the yelling, name-calling, trolling, finger-pointing, accusing, attacking, blaming, and complaining. I don’t want to feed those monsters any longer.

There is so little in this world that we can control. But one of the things we can control is how we react to that bag of mixed nuts. Look around and see what makes you smile, what quickens your step, what makes you “whistle while you work.” Give a compliment, smile at a stranger, bring a meal to a neighbor, write a letter to your great-aunt, listen to good music, and enjoy a breathtaking desert sunset. Encourage a teenager, giggle with a toddler, listen to an elderly relative, and offer support to someone going through a rough patch.

In short, choose to gravitate away from the nuttiness and toward the positive with a steady diet of healthy information and action. Maybe, just maybe, if we could all do a little more of that, our little corners of the world would have a mighty impact on the rest of it.

Charlene Paul and her husband Ken raised their family in Moapa Valley. She loves reading, writing, baking, crochet, and talking. She is the owner of Look on the WRITE Side, a freelance writing and proofreading company and can be contacted at lookonthewriteside@gmail.com.