I am, in spite of the state of things, an optimist. Not an oblivious cheerful cheerleader of relentless, cloying positivity. No. Life is hard. When you’re trapped in the headlight of an oncoming train, life may very well come along and hit you in the back of the head with a bat. And I say this from experience.

But also, the train passes. The bat stops swinging. The sun shines and the flowers still bloom and poetry gets written and jokes get told. I’m perilously close to saying the sun will come out tomorrow.

Let’s be real. For maybe another five billion years the sun will come out tomorrow. That’s a good run, isn’t it? And nobody is going to be around to see all those sun rises. (That’s about 1,825,000,000,000 sunrises if you’re wondering. Maybe I should start a sticker chart…)

As I write this, some people are having the worst (or last) day of their lives. That’s a terrible thing to say, but also horrifyingly true. And Superman isn’t going to fly around the Earth, reversing time and tragedy.

So, considering the horrors that surround us (and I do not minimize the horrors–they are monstrous and tenacious), I’m still an optimist. Because the wheel turns. Deserved happiness is happening somewhere. And I won’t let the bastards grind me down.

Also, what right have I to give up and say we’re doomed. There are circles of hell I’ve never had to visit, but many other people have, and they kept fighting for another day. I have a roof over my head, food in my kitchen, and a job to go to. Now, those could certainly change, but for now, I have the best doggos, a family, and friends. I still have time to write and make art.

My optimism doesn’t mean I believe I’ll be a successful author. It means I’ll keep writing as long as mind and body allow.

My optimism doesn’t mean I believe I’ll live long enough to see this country finally face its tragic flaws and its crimes against humanity and become a country the world needs. But someone will live that long. And if I can carry (or drag kicking and screaming) my little portion of this place closer to that end goal, I’ll do my best. The sun will rise on a future generation. And it will be good.

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Here are few Instagram accounts I recommend: ashleytheebarroness, mspackyetti, mainandvine, optimisticsoap, and tad.stoermer.

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Thanks for reading. Good luck out there.