Running faster than lightning across a field. Chasing a squirrel. Watching the ducks on the pond. Shooting whirligigs into the air. Making homemade pizza and the mess that goes with them. Reading Dr. Seuss at the dinner table. Enjoying another visit with the grandkids – a moment of what life should be. A reminder of why I write.
As I write each day, I sometimes forget why I write social commentary. Sometimes I get lost in moments of frustration. Sometimes I lose my focus on my writing’s purpose. Sometimes I wander into the fight without a clue of why I fight. Then I get to see my grandchildren. They remind me of why I, even in retirement, still care about so many things. They remind me that I must keep pounding away in the hope that someone will listen. Maybe someone with more power than I will read my words and maybe fix the world for the grandchildren.
It is so easy to lose this focus of purpose. As I am constantly bombarded by what is wrong with the world, it seems as if the world is spinning out of control. It is a mess. Dirty politics. Mass shootings. Lawlessness. Wars. Poverty. Hatred. Climate disasters. Covid. It all makes me a bit angry and sad. In that anger fueled by each news cycle, I hit my keyboard with renewed frustration.
But then I see my grandkids. They are oblivious to all the world’s ills. Their greatest injustice is being told it’s time to go home. It’s time for a bath. It’s time to sleep. It is through their eyes that I then try to recalibrate why I do what I do. It is through their eyes that I try to hone my frustrations on a practical thought: what might sound the call to rational thought and deed? It is in their eyes that I try to see all that is good in the world. It is in their eyes that I try to see what it is they need from their Papa. What do they need me to do to make sure that their lives are the best they can be? What is it that I can do to get the needle to move just a little, even if it is just a fraction of a millimeter? How can I or anyone effect positive change? How can I help my grandchildren have their best future? How can I be the best me to help make that a reality?
So as I hit my keyboard today, I wanted to remind myself why I do what I do. Thank God for the grandkids. They just might be the only thing that keeps us focused enough to not mess this up any more than we have.