‘Jimmy Dunne Says’

The Palisadian-Post presents an homage to Will Rogers’ column, “Will Rogers Says,” with a column by Palisadian Jimmy Dunne—on life in the “greatest town in America.”

Tsunamis & the Sunny Side of the Street

We got hit by a tsunami.

Took us absolutely by surprise. Never saw it coming.

Even as we saw it coming, we never imagined that it would actually get to most of us.

But it sure did.

For all of us, in varying degrees, it has impacted us in three ways.

Financially. Emotionally. And physically, forcing us all out of our homes and out of our town. Under each of these words, a bucket of stuff.

For the past months, many of us have been living in a liminal place, weighing our options for our next steps.

And it’s knocked over lots of our apple carts. The apple cart of our friends and neighbors. The watering holes in our lives.

——-

It’s taken me four months to learn something.

When you think about it, most folks, in their arc and journey of life, usually get hit with a handful of tsunamis. Some bigger than others.

The luckier we are, the fewer tsunamis we’ve had.

For some, it could have been the death of a parent, or a dearest friend, or sibling, or a child. Or a divorce. Maybe an injury or a physical trauma. Or a business crash, or losing a job that crushed you emotionally and financially.

All tsunamis, all different degrees of transforming our lives.

Just as successes define us, when you think about it, how we’ve dealt with and bounced back from “tsunamis” has shaped the trajectory of everything.

And we need to buckle in. As far as tsunamis go—it’s probably not the last.

That’s life.

But I think the trick is remembering the absolute bounty of moments, the every days—on the amazing ride called life.

Maybe what makes the tsunamis hurt so much is because of how beautiful and rich and full it was—before they ever came.

——-

One of my favorite old songs, “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

For stores, there’s actually truth to it. Stores pay more rent to be on the “sunny side of a street.”

Because folks buy more. They’re happier. They talk more. They sing more. They’ve got a snap in their step.

Maybe the trick is, wherever we are, to find that “sunny side of the street.”

I’m going there. I hope to see your smiling face

Jimmy Dunne is a 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.