My favorite story of his is that of the Star Bellied Sneetches.  You see, there were these big yellow birds called Sneetches that, of course, lived on the beaches.  Some of them had stars on their bellies but others did not.  The ones with the stars strutted around on the beach all day proclaiming their superiority over those that had none.

Along came a man with a big machine and bigger promise.  He could put a star on the bellies of the ones that had none for a few bucks. Well they, of course, the starless, lined right up and handed over their money, miraculously, popping out of the machine, starred.

This sent an uproar to the original star bellied clan and there was much dismay on the beach.  It was no longer special to have a star. No problem, said the man with the machine. For just ten bucks, I can take those stars right off your bellies.  Now, it would seem, having no star made you superior.

And so… they lined up.

After a while of going in and out of the machine, putting on and taking off stars, the lines became blurred.  Was it better to have a star?  Was it better to have none? Who was superior to whom? Where had they started in the first place?

This is America in the year 2016.  We have all been going through the machine and the lines, thankfully, have been starting to blur, particularly for our children. Maybe the man with the machine was the hero of the story after all.

Who was better than whom?  White, black, brown, male, female, gay, transgendered, Latino, European? We were beginning to be unsure. We had the first truly multicultural president.  Not a black man, not white, multicultural. People of color had someone to look up to and a new-found pride. Gay rights expanded to include marriage equality. Women were starting see rises in pay that might bring them closer to equal to men’s pay scale. Even the Transgendered community was coming into the light and out of the shadows. We had a long way to go but our foot was on the rung of the ladder and we saw a way to climb. It didn’t matter who had a star on their belly or who did not.

We had started, just a tiny bit, to realize that no one is just one thing.  Not even one gender as we all have testosterone and estrogen, male and female energy. We all have mixed blood and mixed ethnicity. We are all, as Harry Potter would tell you, Muggles.

He changed the game but not everyone was happy about it.

What about the original Star Bellied Sneetches? Some of them remembered a time when they were the kings of beaches. Some of them never gave up that star. How were they dealing with this confusion, this melding, mixing and blurring?  They muttered quietly to themselves. They were, as my kid would say, butt hurt. They clung to their religious right attitude, railed against gay rights, women’s rights, pro-choice liberals, transgendered bathrooms and that “Black Guy” in the White House.  Oh, the irony of that. They were losing power. Their belly stars were fading of their own accord.  They needed a voice, a true, loud and righteous voice to take back what was rightfully theirs, what was lost.

Enter Donald J. Trump.

Trump saw a need and he filled that need.  White people, particularly middle to upper class white males were angry.  They saw their country as hijacked by that black guy and his family of smiling, happy, intelligent, women. How could this have happened?  How is this man becoming beloved by the nation? What can we do to fix this?

And horror of horrors, that shrew, that hard hitting, pull no punches, loud, nasty woman, Hillary Clinton was winning in the primaries. She would be the democratic candidate. She must be stopped but what hero could they find to give them voice? The poor oppressed white guy who, suddenly realized he might have to come down a peg or two from his ivory tower of supremacy, was aching to speak out and have someone to let him do it.

And it began.

It started slowly, like a distant rumble but it gained in volume and it gained in intensity.  White men, and the women that needed them for the life and the paycheck they provided, could say the words they’d been itching, nay dying, to say out loud, at rallies, in the public eye, on Facebook and Twitter.  Not just the fringe people who always say things that would shock and appall most reasonable people, but doctors, lawyers, business owners. And not just things to be said at dinner parties, country clubs, red neck bars and backyard barbeques but OUT LOUD, on TV and aired on CNN and FOX News. They were allowed and they had a hero.  They weren’t being pushed into the lockers by the school bully.  No, they were walking the hallways proudly behind him and doing the pushing.

Our neighbors, associates and even some of our friends were using words like…

Nigger
Spic
Dyke
Fag
Rag Head, Dot Head, Terrorist

It became okay to push and shove people at rallies. To have 10 -year old’s yelling “lock her up” and “Kill her” about a former Secretary of State.

It became cool to wear offensive tee shirts and to post things on Facebook about repealing women’s and black’s voting rights, to make fun of disabled people, families that have lost sons in a war or men who got captured while defending our country.

This new type of humor became acceptable. Anything Donald said or did, no matter how horrible, racist or downright cruel was fine. Shit, it was funny.  He’s just keeping it real, speaking his mind, not pulling punches.  His three wives, the cheating, the foundation that seemed to give money to anything but charity, rape cases involving 13-year old girls, bankruptcy and a failed and suspect “University”, all good.

So long as:

They could keep their guns
They could stop the fags, niggers, spics, dot heads and women, (yes, even the women want to see women remain subservient) from becoming equals, from having stars upon thars.

Build that wall.  Mexico will pay for it. 

Except they won’t.

Then the tape came out with Donald saying awful things about women and what he would do and had done to them because he was rich and famous.  The world shuddered.  “This is unacceptable”!  As if all the other heinous things he had said were hunky dory but this was the line in the sand.

People speculated.  I did too.  I thought the whole thing was a set up so Pence could run instead.  But we were all wrong. You see, it didn’t matter because the “Star Bellied Sneetches” just want their beaches back. They don’t care how they get it.  They don’t care if they go against everything their religious right doctrines say. So what if he’s a divorcee who cheated on his former wives? Who cares if he lies about almost everything and makes fun of the less fortunate.  What’s wrong with making money be your God?

What Golden idol?

They were winning.  He was putting an end to all that “political correctness” crap.  He was making “locker room talk” okay even if that means that we are justifying sexual abuse and assault and even women were defending his right.

“Boys will be boys”, one wealthy white woman told me.

But this wasn’t just about money.  Getting to keep their money was great but it was a bonus. This was about belly stars.

The stars on their bellies feel brighter and bigger than ever and they can see the holy grail, the glistening beach where those that have “none upon thars” will do their bidding again.

“Boy, get me another gin and tonic, will you?”

“Hey, Blackie, my shoes need shining. Get going on that or I’ll tan your hide!”

“Pedro, here’s five bucks. Mow my lawn or I’ll turn your ass into immigration”

“Little missy, get over here and service your master, right now and no sobbing while you do it.”

“CAN’T YOU SEE THIS FUCKING STAR?”

Life is just a series of waves, it’s all about how you navigate them.

Don’t surfers seem to have it all figured out? Laying in the sun on their cool surfboards, waiting for the perfect wave, they never seem concerned about the hum drum, every day, world.

You work hard every day and lay awake at night stressing your finances, your relationships, your health and well-being.

How will I get these bills paid?
Are my kids going to turn out okay?
Will I ever get that better job, that nice girlfriend, that new car?
What the heck is this mole on my neck about?

Surfers appear to be a different breed of human. Why?

In this blog series, we’ll explore 5 things they know that you might not.

1. Sharks don’t really want to eat you.

Sharks want to eat fish, not people. We taste bad to them. Liver and onions bad. They’re not lurking in the water waiting for us so they can pig out. If all you worry about is sharks attacking you, you’ll never surf at all. Sharks sometimes attack surfers because they wear wet suits and that can confuse those toothy bastards.
“Looks like a seal, moves like a seal, must be a seal.”
But when they get a little taste of neoprene, synthetic rubber… not a seal.

Disappointment.

“Never equate with malice what might better be explained by stupidity”. Sharks may not always be that smart. They have a ton of very sharp teeth, but no matter how scary they look, they aren’t malicious.

In reality, neither are people. People are not out to get you any more than sharks are. Sometimes they take a chunk out of your leg, or worse, your heart, but most of the time, if they do, they get a bad taste in their mouth, just like a shark does and they spit the chunk out.

Don’t assume that people are plotting against you and lying in wait for you to be in the deeper water so they can bite you in the ass. People are scared, just like you are and they aren’t all the brightest bulbs in the four pack. We’re all swimming in murky waters.

Just like with shark attacks, the chances of becoming a statistic is pretty unlikely. Terrorists are not waiting for you at the mall or at Disney World or pretty much anywhere. There are bad people just like there are stupid sharks and yes, they can hurt you but you can’t let that fact paralyze you or you’ll do nothing, go nowhere and live in constant fear.

It’s okay to be careful. I’m not saying it’s an altogether bad thing.

Things can happen when you’re surfing. Remain calm.
Thrashing about makes sharks think you’re a scared fish and they will attack.
If something goes wrong, get to shore as quickly as you can and keep your wits about you but do it as smoothly and calmly as you can.
Call for help. It’s okay to ask. There really can be safety in numbers so It’s cool to have a buddy system in place. Surfing alone is not a good idea, in the ocean or in life.

The main thing is, no matter what, don’t stay out of the water. It’s where all the cool things happen.

• Every life crisis can be summed up by how you handle the waves

There are basically three types of waves.

The first kind is the one we like the best. They’re the reason we surf, the ones that look to be a good bet, so you take your shot and go with the wave. Sometimes it’s a great ride, smooth, exhilarating, exciting or at least pleasant.
Sound familiar?

The second kind is the wave that’s just not quite right. It’s not probably overwhelming in size. In fact, it might be a little small or it might come at a time when you’re not ready for it so it doesn’t speak to you. It’s not a good wave to ride but it’s one you can easily go up and over. You point your board out to sea and roll over the top of the wave and down the back side of it letting it go to shore without you.
Not your wave.
Let it go and don’t regret it. Surfers use their instincts and they know another wave is coming, no worries.

The third kind is the big wave, the one that’s too big to surf, too big to go over. The one with the bad timing. You’re in the wrong place for this one. This is the one that’s about to break on your head and crush you if you don’t do something. So, you do the only sensible thing you can do.
You go through it.

Sometimes it’s not so bad to go through that big, mean, rough wave and you come out the other side with ease, relieved. Sometimes that wave is so big you feel like you will never see the end of it, never see the daylight on the other side or ever catch your breath. Sometimes you think, “I can’t make it.”
But you do.
You know the waves I’m talking about.
Your mother dies.
Your kid gets sick.
You lose your job or house or the love of your life.
Those are big waves and they never seem to end but you know what?
They do.
You get through them and Dory was right, “Just Keep Swimmin”

• Surfers surf because they need to.

There are things in life we have to do, want to do, are expected to do, try to do and like to do but there are a few things, a very few, that we NEED to do. Those are the things we cannot, not do. We have to do them like we have to breath. Real surfers get this. They need to surf to exist.
Find those things you need to do. It’s what separates the greats from the goods. Great actors sometimes hate acting. They’ll tell you they don’t want to act but they need to. Dancers push themselves beyond human limits, athletes ruin their bodies.
People who are really philanthropic or genuinely heroic need to help others. It’s a burning desire to do good, to be of use.
If it’s not your profession, if it’s not your relationships, what is it that drives you, that fuels you? What do you run on? People are like cars, they need fuel and not just food and water. They need to have a driving force. So, surfers need waves. They need the adrenaline rush that only comes from surfing.
What gives you that rush?
Find that and let it fuel you. You’ll run like a well-oiled piston engine.

• When the waves are really, good, surfers stop what they’re doing and get wet.

Surfers live by this. They walk out of their work, skip school, skip meals. They just surf because the really, amazing waves may not soon come again. Maybe never. They live for the moment.

Life happens so fast and we always assume there will be more time, more waves, more sunny, perfect days to surf. And most likely there will be but sometimes you have to drop what you’re doing and get wet.

Take that day off to be with your kids.
Put the phone down and look at your wife. No! Really look at her.
Be present. Take time, take a break.
Don’t let all the best days go unnoticed and unsurfed.

• The best prize in surfing is being able to surf some more

Surfers compete.

At least lots of them do and they like to win. There are prizes and endorsements and money and … girls or guys who want to be with surfers. That’s great. But at the end of the day and after you’re too old to compete, the surfing still happens.
There are all kinds of surfers and most of them don’t win trophies. They don’t get to be on TV or in movies, they don’t have their names painted on surfing equipment but they still surf.

It’s about the surfing, not about winning anything. Not about being the best one in the water. When you surf, it’s just you on your board doing your own thing. No one can choose your waves for you and no one has the same experience you have on those waves even if they’re surfing right next to you.

It’s a singular experience yet you share it with so many things.

Other people
The sun beating down on you
The fish swimming unknowingly below you
The clouds floating above you
The wind pushing you along… and of course
The water itself

They share your experience but it’s not their experience, it’s yours. Lucky is the person who realizes that the real joy in surfing is just the showing up to get wet.

So, I beg you:

Show up every day
Get wet every day
Be present every day

You won’t regret it. No matter what happens you’ll have won the big prize.

You’ll get to keep on surfing!

People who know me well often hear me say, “Work is the closest thing to God.”
If you work, you can afford to live. If you can afford to live, you can afford to help others live. Work means food on the table, food can be shared. Work means having a roof over your head which means a couch or spare room for someone in need. I take a shower at least once a day and I realize how often I take for granted that simple pleasure. If you work, you can lend someone your shower so they can get clean, a wonderful thing to be.
My girlfriend tells a story of a homeless man she became friendly with who lost his home, his job and his money in a bad divorce.  In a blind fury, all he took from the house was his expensive suits and was living in his car for a while, dazed and confused. Then the car was repossessed and he sold his suits to get enough money for a very brief stay in a hotel.  All he did was sleep and shower repeatedly for 24 hours.
We forget how much those simple acts mean to our well-being.
If you’re lucky enough to work at something you truly love, you’re fortunate but even if you get up in the morning and drag yourself there, remember that your job gives you the opportunity to be self-sufficient and capable of doing something for someone else when called on.

7. Be Humble

I’ve always loved the expression, “There but for the grace of God, go I”.
Don’t help people just to feel good about yourself. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t be happy or even a little proud when you do something nice for others.  It should make you very happy but be careful not to boast about it or gloat. Study humbleness in great leaders. The greatest leaders are usually the most humble people you’ll ever meet. You’re not better than someone less fortunate than you. You have lots of gifts and talents, all people do, and it’s good to know your strengths and weaknesses but accept things about yourself with grace and humility. Remember that you could be one tragedy away from being just like the person you’re helping. We’re all fragile, a little lost, a little broken.

8. Be Grateful

You have everything you need even if you don’t know it.  Many of us have quite a bit more than we need but we’re still looking for the things we don’t have.

If you have the love of one good friend, you have love.
If you have food, shelter and clothing, you’re rich beyond the dreams of more than half the world.

There’s so much rhetoric about gratitude coming out of self-help, it can become overkill, but the fact of the matter is, the opposite of being grateful is being bitter. When all you taste is bitter, it’s hard to talk of sweetness.
Take a minute, every day, to look at any one room in your house.  Pull out one draw in your kitchen, bedroom or even your desk at work. Go into your closet and look at the clothes hanging there. How many of us have tons and tons of things we never use, wear or even look at most of the time?  Imagine having to choose what you would take with you if you had one hour and only one backpack to fill to carry with you everywhere you went. No car, no home, no help.
When you’re upset, is there one person you can call who will talk to you and help you work through what’s bothering you? Are you that one person for someone else? How often do you go hungry?  I don’t mean hangry, when you wish you had a snack or you have to wait a bit to eat because of work or school or some obligation that takes up your time. If you wake up in a place with a roof, walls and a real floor, with running water and electricity, do you have any idea how rich you are? It’s beyond the dreams of millions of people to have such things. Every time you complain about a common problem, the hot water heater is slow to get your shower to temperature, your hamburger is over cooked at the diner, you broke a heel on your shoe or God forbid a nail, remember these are very much #firstworldproblems.

9. Practice Kindness

This will require studying what that means. Kindness means different things to different people. If a person asks you not to do something for them and you do it anyway to show you care about them, you may hurt their pride. That’s not being kind, that’s being aggressive. Kindness requires getting familiar with the wants and needs of others.  It’s hard. It can go against your own nature. Kindness doesn’t mean enabling.  It’s not kind to buy an alcoholic a drink but it’s also not kind to pay all their bills while they drink instead of obtaining help. Kindness requires knowledge, steadfastness, fortitude and sometimes even stealth. First, be kind to yourself. (See # 10)

10. Learn Forgiveness

First, and foremost, you have to learn the most difficult task of all; to forgive yourself so you can forgive others. One of the greatest stepping stones to forgiving yourself is to ask for help. Yes, the two are kissing cousins and their parents are ego and pride. We all know the old jokes about men never being able to ask for directions.  That’s ego and pride at work.  Asking for help is a sign of weakness to most people.  In reality, it’s a sign of strength.  It shows that you accept you’re not perfect and can’t do everything. It says that you want to be part of something;
a community,
a friendship,
a family,
a relationship.
We beat ourselves up about the slightest mistakes, women are famous for this.  We go over our mistakes in our head, letting them gnaw at us till we are nearly sick with it. Look at a situation where you could have done something differently,
a fight with you mother or partner,
a job interview that went badly,
a difficult conversation with a friend.
Instead of going over and over in your head, all the things you could have done, the words you should have said but were too rushed or upset to think of, the actions you could’ve chosen, consider the things that went right. Consider the actual outcome. Was it really that bad? Can you fix it with forgiveness, kindness, gratefulness, humbleness?

Lilism # 1: Save Yourself and the World Will Follow.  This applies just as well to “Forgive Yourself and the World Will Follow”.

So, get going!  People need you. Be prepared.

So to continue… 

2. Study

Learn something new every day. The dictionary is full of words you don’t know. Don’t learn them just to show off, though that’s a nice little bonus.

Play word games to sharpen your mind.
Study astrology; yes it’s a real thing.  People’s signs, actually, often do dictate their behavior and Mercury Retrograde effects people lives. You don’t have to make all your decisions based on the stars but knowing when Mercury is in retrograde might save you from annoying little mishaps, weird but true.

Consider other cultures besides your own.  Try food you’ve never eaten. Check out music and dance videos from around the world.  Music and dance are universal languages. You may have two left feet and a tin ear but you can still appreciate how the rest of the world expresses itself through non-verbal performing arts and no language lessons are required. Expand your views.

Study World History because history does repeat itself so the future will be easier to navigate.
Talk to people younger and older than yourself.  Really study them. They know things you don’t know.
All these things will help you know what other people experience. The more knowledge you have, the more wisdom you can impart.
You can’t counsel someone if you don’t know much.

3. Meditate

Be centered and present. In a crisis, the person who is the most useful is the calmest person in the room. The best way to do that is to be present with whatever problem arises.
Practice breathing, which is a big part of meditation. You’ll need that skill if something really challenging happens in your life. We’re a zoned out nation, staring into our cell phones, ignoring everything; family, home, work, school, friends, even the road we’re driving on. We’re NOT present. We’re NOT connected. The devices that were created to help us connect with the world, while great at making the world a smaller and more accessible place, have detached us from that very same world in a way no one could see coming. Find a quiet place for 10 minutes every day; no phones, no computers, no TV’s.  Find a focal point or close your eyes, breath gently in and out, count your breath, 4 in and 7 out, and be present. Sit with yourself, because when the time comes to sit with a sick friend or a grieving loved one, you’ll be able to be present in their pain and connect with them as a real human being.
There is no greater feeling than to genuinely connect with someone else.  This applies to joy too. Sharing in someone’s joy is sometimes harder than sharing in their grief. You may have issues with jealousy which makes it hard to share in the joy some of your loved ones, friends, or colleagues are experiencing.  Why aren’t you getting the raise, buying the new car, finding the love of your life?

Meditate. Be present with all the things you have in your life that are good.

There are a lot more things to rejoice about than you might think. If nothing else the simple, joyful, ability to sit and breathe is something to cheer about. Make gratitude a big part of your meditation and when someone needs you to share in their joy, it’ll come like rolling off a log.

It’ll help you stay healthy.  It’s difficult to do things for other people when you’re sick. To be of use could mean you’ll need stamina.

4. Eat Well

Don’t put harmful things in your body. Trade soda for filtered water and be grateful for that water. A surprisingly few people in the world have it.  If you have water at your disposal every day, count yourself among the richest people in the world. Fresh vegetables, organic meats and dairy products cost a bit more but if you can manage to afford them, stop making excuses as to why you can’t. It might mean eating less food but eating good food that has actual nutrients.
American’s don’t really get that. A hamburger that weighs in at less than half a pound is looked down upon. Try eating 4 ounces of grass fed, organic beef.  It might change your perspective and while we are talking about cows, real milk from those happy, well treated, cows is a completely different experience. You’ll never see milk the same way again.

Look into Mindful Eating. Americans don’t eat food, they shovel it. When was the last time you really tasted your food? Try this simple set of tasks. Take 3 deep breaths before you start your meal. Start with a very small bite of food. Bring it up to your nose and smell it first. Put the food in your mouth and put your utensils down. Chew slowly and notice what side of your mouth you chew on. Think about where the food came from, the animal or plant, the people involved in your being able to eat this food. Every 5 or 6 chews, swallow some saliva, not solid food, just saliva and actually notice what you’re tasting. Fresh herbs, spices, the meat or vegetables in your mouth, can you really taste them? Do you taste chemicals? Don’t swallow until you have chewed at last 25 times and when the food is the consistency of applesauce.  Try eating a whole meal this way. If you get into this habit, you’ll eat less, taste more, enjoy more and do your digestive system a world of good.

Avoid fast food. Yes, it tastes good and they give it to in nice paper sacks through a window without even having to get your lazy butt off the car seat but it’s making you weaker and isn’t serving you. Fast food is filled with sugar which makes you happy for about fifteen minutes and then you crash and burn. It doesn’t just come to you fast but you eat if fast and don’t really taste it. Examine how many times you have eaten your fast food in about the same time it took to order it. pull around, pay for it and take the little sack from the smiling kid at the window. You grab the bag, unwrap it and swallow it while driving, hardly taking time to chew. Three minutes to get it, three minutes to eat it. If you ate that same food mindfully, you might never eat fast food again. Try it and see what you actually taste.
Sugar is nobody’s friend except maybe cancer and it’s hiding in everything. 
Look for it on labels and do your best to cut down on it. It’s not your pal. Remember, someday you may be tasked to do something that requires great stamina in order to help someone in need, someone you love.
Be ready.

5. Exercise

This means both your body and your mind – be strong physically and mentally. You don’t need to have the perfect physique or be an exercise junky but do something physical for 10 minutes every day.

A little yoga goes a long way.  Yoga is just breathing with movement. There’s no right or wrong in it and it’s good for your body, mind and spirit all at once.
Take a walk around the block before or after work or around the building or parking lot at lunchtime.
Do fun activities that get you away from the couch or desk.  Hula hoop or roller blade or clean up that rusty bike in the garage. Miniature golfing or walking on the beach is a great way to move and spend time with loved ones too.
Exercise your mind as well. Commit to putting your phone away at meal times so you can talk to the people you eat with.  If you eat alone, take that time to be with yourself and your own thoughts not the ideas of the people on Facebook.
Interact with people whose air space you’re sharing. Join a study group or a book club. Be engaged in real world activities. Instagram and Pinterest and Snap Chat and Periscope are great devices and, yes, they do keep you in contact with the world but they also distance you from human contact. Being around people and sharing thoughts and ideas will keep your mind a lot sharper than you can possibly imagine.

You want to be helpful to people but you’re not sure how. You see people in need and guilt rises up.

“I don’t have the time”
“I don’t have the funds”
“I’m a bad person because I’m not doing enough to help and I have no idea where to start”

I meet people all the time who wax eloquent about wanting to help others.  I appreciate them. I admire their desire, dedication and devotion to their ideals but I often don’t respect them.  As harsh as that seems, the reality is most people aren’t positioned to help anyone and too often people are helpful for the wrong reasons.

They want to be seen as a good person.
They want to impress someone; father, mother, teacher, potential significant other.
They want to feel good about themselves.
They want God (insert any deity or higher power you like) to approve of them.

Many people want to help others but the hard truth is, they can’t help themselves. If you really want to help other people, as genuinely as is humanly possible, there are steps to take.

Remember the most important thing the airline stewards tell you to do if the plane’s going to crash.

“Put your own air mask on first.” 

We might all agree that it’s tough to help other people when you can’t help yourself and yet, even when we’re at our lowest point, our humanity kicks in when we see someone in need or hurting.  We want to help but our air mask is leaking.

This article is not to suggest that you shouldn’t do what you can, when you can, and to the best of your current ability. It’s more of a long-term strategy for being really effective in helping others and, in doing so, yourself.

In the novel “The Cider House Rules” John Irving’s character, Dr. Larch, tells his young assistant Homer that he must “be of use”.  That concept struck a chord with me and has helped shape my life.  But to be of use is no easy task.  It requires training, much like that of an athlete.  If you want to create a life devoted to “being of use” here are some things you’ll need to do.

1. Read

Reading gives you perspectives other than your own. Your ideas and ideals get shaped by life experience but their pliable. Reading is a form of exercise for your ideas.  Read a lot and read a variety of things.

Novels, and plays allow a better understanding of human behavior and human nature. Biographies teach us what other people have gone through, how they’ve handled the struggles of their life and the victories. Knowing how to be a good winner is just as important as knowing how to fail with grace.

Newspaper and newsfeeds give you a fuller understanding of what the world is going through. It’s a lot, trust me, and it won’t often be pretty information.  It’ll help you gain real perspective on problems.  Most of ours are #firstworldproblems.  That flat tire, broken nail or the hottie that turned you down at the bar won’t seem quite as important if you see yourself in the whole of the world, not the microcosm in which you live.