Promote What You Love

In the midst of a divisive and vituperative election season, I'm reminded of the saying, "Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate." My organist friend, the one with the successful heart transplant, has taken a social media break because he's so overwhelmed with the steady diet of negativity. I don't blame him.

There are several stories I could be chasing down today but I find myself pushing back and wanting something different. So, here goes.

This is what I love:

I love hearing my teenager talk at the end of the day about how her piano teacher says she has improved so much since the start of the year. I love quizzing her for her biology test and seeing how much she's learned about the circle of life, and yes, it's more than a song.

I love arriving at the HoCoBlogs party with windblown hair because my grown-up daughter is now proudly driving her first car, a convertible. (And not too cold because it has, as she says, "tushy toasters".)

I love meeting my neighbor's new dog, an adorable German shepherd with impossibly big ears. Echo may not know it yet, but he has hit the jackpot with the best doggy mom ever. I look forward to seeing him grow up.

I love having a husband who loves both music and baseball, because that means any day now he'll be planted in front of the tv with his beloved Orioles while playing acoustic guitar. Or electric bass. Or banjo. Or harp. Or tuba.

I love my circle of friends in Oakland Mills who care enough to get involved in our community and in our schools. They encourage me to be my better self. They make me think, they make me laugh. They make room for my quirks and imperfections.

I love all those local folks who geek out about local news and politics. It may be a bubble, and we may be stuck in it, but it's our bubble and we love it. These are the folks who know who shows up to County Council meetings and why. They want to make our community a better place today, and they're keeping an eye on tomorrow at the same time. They make current events fun for me.

I love this place where I live--Columbia, and Howard County. I love that I am still learning knew things and meeting new people. I love hearing about how we can treasure our natural environment, and how we have so many historical sites worth preserving. I love watching Merriweather Park in Symphony Woods move forward with the building of the Chrysalis.

That's what I love: home. And the people who make it home.

There's plenty of time tomorrow for the tough stories.