Summertime

The summer months are upon me and they are full of beautiful things I love: chubby baby hugs, doggy kisses, riding horses in the Mojave desert, long steamy runs, camping, stretching out on green, sweet smelling grass, hiking, long conversations, belly laughs, the smell of freshly mowed lawns, road trips, and ice cream running down my elbow. 
This country simultaneously embraces and repels me. I love the comfort and safety of our lives, the beauty of our country and the smiles of kind people, but I’m astonished by the close mindedness, the religious indoctrination, the segregation, the lack of appreciation for what we have, the inability to see ourselves in perspective with the rest of the world, the unhappiness and dissatisfaction. There is nothing more sad to me than a country that doesn’t appreciate its own beauty, that doesn’t revel in its comforts and safety, and that takes its plush, comfortable life for granted every day and believes they should have more. If there is one thing I could get people to do every day (aside from traveling and seeing the REAL world) is to find one little thing each day to be happy about. Just BE HAPPY.