Ridiculously Big Hello Kitty

A few days ago, my daughter, Carina , and I were at an arcade (before you send ,hate mail, yes, I realize that there is a pandemic, yes we wore masks, yes we social distanced, and the team at the arcade did an outstanding job keeping things clean and sanitized! )Upon entering the arcade, I saw IT on the prize wall. A positively enormous Hello Kitty! Being my overly animated self, I immediately began squealing! Carina, the awesome kiddo that she is, immediately offered to combine tickets, so we could try to win the huge prize.

Hello Kitty was 4500 tickets. And my go to coin pusher game was out of commission (apparently hard to keep sanitized). But we tried our very best and wound up with a little over 2200 tickets. It was OK, we would choose some smaller prizes instead.

When we went up to the redemption counter, the most amazing thing happened. Complete strangers had seen my excitement and donated their winnings. They donated their winnings to an overly excited grown adult, not an adorable child, but me! it still wasn't enough so the teenager working the counter began searching through abandoned game cards to see if any tickets were left on those! to make a long story short, due to the kindness of strangers, I went home with a ridiculously big Hello Kitty!

For me, this was so much bigger than a stuffed toy. It gave me hope. You see, we n this nation are currently facing a truly horrible pandemic, and no, I do not mean COVID-19. I mean the virus of anger and hostility sweeping through the nation at an alarming rate, taking over social medic and infecting some of the most amazing people we know. I don't mean the people that are respectfully sharing their position. I mean the people who are blatantly cruel and attacking each other, often physically, for having beliefs that differ from their own.

It is psychologically normal to have high levels of anger and anxiety when there is uncertainty. We are all feeling it, even me, the queen of positivity (thanks to those of you that love to call me that). I have been short-tempered and cranky lately too. I know its "normal" but I hate it. So if the happy girl is feeling it, how does anyone else even stand a chance?

It starts with kindness. It really does. When have you ever changed someone's mind by yelling at them or calling them names? Or physically assaulting them? Here is what I propose:

Just be nice! Do what you believe is right, and by doing so, prove you were right. Show love to everyone. If you are a "masker," for example, keep an extra brand new one and feel free to offer it kindly, especially to someone who cannot enter a store without it, and is wanting to. If you are an anti-masker, people can still see you smile, so smile at them! Do I have opinions on this, absolutely. But I can also tell you that people I love with all my heart and soul are on both sides of this argument, and I refuse to stop loving them!

In my head, I can already hear the rebuttles:

But people that don't wear masks are hurting us! OK, so stay 6 feet away and stay nice! You know you can also order groceries online and can stay away even more if you would like! It;s really a pretty awesome service!

People that are wearing masks are giving up our freedoms! OK, think of it as a fashion statement you can just not get behind, like saggy jeans. To you it looks dumb, but its their choice and likely they are an awesome human being beneath that mask!

I am not trying to start an argument, belittle anyone, or start a war. I just want to being some love and compassion into a very tumultuous time. I want to see news stories about people reaching out to one another instead of another altercation over a mask or politics. Every day, i try so hard to show kindness to everyone (masked or not, republican or liberal, trekkie or star warzie). Please join me. Put the love back in your heart, even if you think people are stupid. Put the love back in your heart, even when people do things differently than you.

I pray that this new virus-the virus of hate, doe snot consume as all. Please go out there (if you are able to do so in a healthy way that allows you to feel safe), and be kind to a stranger. If you are in quarantine, show some love on social media. Show your position from a place of love not anger! Don't let this one be the one that destroys our very humanity.

And as always, stay happy my friends.