An acquaintance wrote that the birth of the newest Royal wasn't important, that the news should be dedicated to our fallen soldiers, and to fires and floods and other matters of human horror.
I disagree.A new life is a celebration, be it in your family or in the Royals. A celebration of any magnitude is what makes the horrible parts of reality bearable.
If the news speaks only of wildfires and war, where has the quality of life gone? Where is the tenderness inside? The joy of living goes far beyond the practical; we need to embrace the smallest of triumphs in order to make living worthwhile.
Pick a day, any day, perhaps in your teenage years. The morning brought a math test for which you were dubiously prepared. The afternoon brought gym class and the humiliation of being unable to keep up. Your best friend turned her back on you for some other friend. You go home mad and sad. Then that special person calls, and you talk and you smile, and suddenly the day wasn't so bad, was it? You see, it was the smallest thing that saved a crummy day.
Yes, war and famine and earthquakes are important news. They are reality of the worst kind. Some people, unfortunately, think that reality is only the bad things that happen, or perhaps only the drip-drip-drip of everyday stagnation is their reality.
But reality is also waking to sunshine or to rain. Having an ice cream sundae instead of lunch. Watching the critters play in the park at noon when you play hooky from work. Having a pow-wow with an old friend. Finding a long-lost love letter. A hug and a moment with someone you love.
Reality is what you accept it to be.
Once we lose our grip on the happiness we should have, we cease to live; we only exist. When we forget how to smile or laugh at insignificant humorous antics, when we forget the day we screamed in pain/pleasure at the teenage ride in the shopping cart, when we dismiss the simple touches of a loving hand as inconvenience....we stop being.
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