Pay Attention. Embrace the Scary, then Watch Wipeout.

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Dr. Miranda Bailey, Grey’s Anatomy:  Well, we’re all scared! I mean, if you’re not scared you’re not paying attention! One of my residents just signed up to go to war. That’s scary. Another one just almost lost her life to melanoma, now she doesn’t know what day it is. That’s scary! What Tucker’s facing isn’t scary! He’s just weak! A pat on the back isn’t gonna help Sir. 

I’ve been wanting to do a post inspired by the above Grey’s Anatomy quote.  Sometimes I get a quote like this in my head, I run it over and over through the mill of my psyche, and that’s what happened with this one.  Not the whole thing, because my memory is not sharp enough for that, but the “if you’re not scared you’re not paying attention” part stuck with me.  I hate to admit it, but of course I’m scared.  I am paying attention.  I watch the news, I see the scary news story links on my home page.  I quit the paper but you’d have to live in a cave to not know that we’re all f*&#-ed sometimes.  We’ve got war, missing planes, the Taliban taking students, layoffs and foreclosures, cancer and Swine flu, and so much violence, and sometimes it feels like there are only two options: hide out in your house and fixate on all of your screen sources, hoping a plane does crash into your attic, or ignore the news and live your life anyway.  You can look at the faces of your people and find love there when it feels like there is a lot less love in our world right now.  In too much us vs. them, I want to create a little bit of caring about all people, some kind of camaraderie.  Is that crazy? 

I want to raise a boy who thinks anything is possible, the world his oyster, and people are generally good.  But the world doesn’t always want to help me out.  So I watch TV shows like Wipeout.  People might tell me it’s a waste, but what’s better:  Wipeout or CNN news?  We’re scared, that’s why we sometimes ignore it all.  That’s why more people vote for American Idol than the President of the United States.   But what can I do?  I can sit here and be powerless, or I can try to appreciate the good things, like my weekly caramel macchiato.  I can try to be a light in someone else’s life, and hope that causes some kind of ripple effect in the world. 

The only option is to love what you’ve got, or love the action you could take to have something new and different. We are all searching, and I do think it’s there, what you are searching for.  It’s everywhere.  It’s in the grass, thunderstorms, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, and yes, bad TV.  Shows like Wipeout.  I mean, look at those crazy, mud-covered people in their dorky outfits, trying to jump on to a wet, spinning squishy thingy, acting as if they have been waiting their whole lives for this moment.  Wedgy-having, speedo-wearing dream seekers all. It’s like the American Idol for the delusional, the So You Think You Can Dance for the uncoordinated.  And I love it.  Yes, I could be watching a more educational show, but this is the only show that makes me laugh out loud.  

In other news, I passed the Praxis!  People said it would be easy,  no big deal, but it was a huge dea for me to take that step.  I studied, I memorized formulas, made flash cards, and I passed!  I rock!  It’s a big step towards a big goal of Master’s degree!  If I try to explain to you guys how happy I am I will start crying all over again, and I already did that today in my office at work, so I’ll just say, “she did it, she did it, oh ya, ya, ya!” 

So I am paying attention, and I am scared, but I’m finding my own light in the media’s dark tunnel.  Be the change, baby! Ya baby, ya! 

And this is fun, checky, checky this link.

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