‘Healthy Diets’
Every morning Catherine and I pretty much do the same drill.
She hops out of bed like an Energizer Bunny the second the birds start singing. She takes our one-foot-long dog Louis out to powder his nose, comes back and slides her chocolate croissant in the toaster oven.
I smell the chocolate croissant (which I’m not allowed to touch) and join her in our family room for coffees, and her chocolate-fest, and the morning news.
First we watch the 6 a.m. local news. It tells us lovely stories like “who’s robbed who” last night, “who’s mad at who” about something political, and finishes off with some uplifting story about some crazy guy that did something absolutely horrifying to a person or a cat or a car—with a gun or with his fists or God only knows what.
That’s nice.
Now I feel all happy and warm inside to start my day.
Then it’s “Good Morning America’s” turn. Same idea, just “bigger.”
It always starts off with a fun teaser of “Debbie Downers” about inflation, COVID, Supreme Court stuff, politicians saying janky things, what foods are sure to kill you, celebrities that aren’t being “woke” enough, appalling actions by world leaders—stuff like that.
I think it would make more sense if they just changed the show’s name from “Good Morning America” to “Humans are Such a Bunch of Jerks.”
After that morning pump-up, I browse a few papers, turn on my computer—and they just keep coming. While I’m writing this, one just appeared on my screen: “Grandma Attacked by Coward.”
Can’t wait to dig into that juicy thriller in Nebraska.
I get it that all this bad stuff is going on. I really get it.
But there’s a lot of smart thinking out there by neuroscientists who think seeking and finding awe is a lot healthier for our diets.
They’re finding all that negative news we’re getting shoved in our heads breeds anxiousness, tempers, divisiveness and conflict.
And that awe invites humility and courage—to not always know. It invites entering conflict with a question—not with an answer. To be OK with uncertainty—instead of certainty. To seek to understand—rather than to convince.
So what’s awe look like?
I was just at Montana’s Glacier National Park—I saw lots of awe.
But I think bite-sized glaciers are right in our own backyard.
When I’m driving through town, almost without exception, everybody is pretty nice.
Folks kindly let you in when you need to make a turn. Folks in town wait their turn at stop signs. Walking through town, lots of strangers just say “hi”—just because.
Sure, there’s a bad egg now and then. So what?
At Gelson’s, the guy filling up the salad bar with more vegetables couldn’t be any more wonderful. Folks I don’t even know just love to pet my dog Louis—and I just hope he’s not in one of his “snapping turtle moods.”
Ronny, at Marquez Cleaners, loves getting down on his knees to look kids in the eyes and hand them a “worm” candy. Who doesn’t possibly love Bentleigh, the dearest courtesy clerk at Ralphs?
James in Palisades Garden Café, Patti Black in Black Ink, the sweet pea staff at Matthew’s Garden Café, the full-of-happy Tancredi and Angelino at Angelini’s. And Mike at the 76 Station; they don’t make a better guy.
Ninety-seven-year-old Mike Martini. Everybody’s buddy Mark Tabit. Eighteen-year-old Matty Gottesman, dripping with joy. Becky Winding, so full of love. Watch Maria Molloy with her mom Delores cheering everybody on at bocce matches each week—and tell me if they’re not extraordinary.
There’s a ton of ’em. In our town. In our city. In our country. In our world.
Selfless, caring, beautiful people with big hearts just trying to figure it out—and make the world a better place along the way.
And I’ll bet you’re one of them.
Jimmy Dunne is modern-day Renaissance Man; a hit songwriter (28 million hit records), screenwriter/producer of hit television series, award-winning author, an entrepreneur—and a Palisadian “Citizen of the Year.” You can reach him at j@jimmydunne.com or jimmydunne.substack.com.
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