This past Monday I found myself in an awful mood. Just terrible. Despite the bright sunshine and delightful weather, it just wasn’t reaching me. I was in a dark place. It happens, especially to deep thinkers as I consider myself to be. But I’ve also lived long enough and through many such episodes that I know if I can just hang in there long enough, if I don’t lose faith, I’ll find the light again.
Now, at this point, I think it important to clarify what I mean by using the word faith here. It’s not in the traditional or religious sense. I have no issues with people who do. It just doesn’t happen to be my way. By it I mean a belief that life is full and within that fullness lies both good and evil, light and dark, yin and yang. It’s just a matter of finding that light.
Within this so-called Internet Age, a plethora of information is at our fingertips at lightning speed. Unfortunately, however, bad news travels fastest of all. And it’s EVERYWHERE. It’s EASY to find. In fact, it usually finds us. Hell, even the Government has SHUT DOWN because they can’t even TALK to one another! Jobs will be lost. People will go hungry. Some will die because of lack of proper healthcare. Hell, no wonder I was so freakin’ down!
So, I sought the quiet of my room, more resting than really sleeping and, of course, thinking. We all rationalize why we feel the way we do. Well, I certainly do. Perhaps that’s why I get into these moody predicaments in the first place. But be that as it may, one technique that I use to ride out the storm is to remind myself that my life IS good. I have a wonderful partner in a good home we share in a village we love. We both have relatively good health (especially for our age) and, at least for now, financial security and two really cool cats. I mean “why worry?”
And it helped. But I needed more.
I need something to restore my faith in mankind. If I could only hold out and find it.
And then it came.
I was watching the TV news when I witnessed the most extraordinary event. It was some of the most spectacular dashcam video that I’ve ever seen. The report showed a helicopter in San Diego, Ca. obviously in distress and losing altitude. Appearing from the right side of the screen, it was heading into the middle of a busy freeway! Suddenly, the chopper belly-wopped, collapsing into the road. Miraculously every single car avoided further disaster by avoiding the wreckage. But what was even more incredible was the response of the motorists around the crash. Within seconds, people were pouring out of their cars and at great personal risk, running to help in any way they could. There seemed to be one person who was an EMT and was coordinating efforts to lift the fallen chopper and rescue those trapped underneath.
Without any heavy equipment, people of all shapes, sexes, and sizes were doing their part to lift that wreckage. Burly and pot-bellied men worked alongside women in shorts and flip-flops to save those people.
And, incredibly, they did! ALL of them.
A few days later I was having a conversation with a very dear, long-time friend. We’re the same age and have similar backgrounds, so we share a lot. One of those things we shared was that we both seemed to be more introspective lately, and not necessarily in a positive way. I’m sure that’s natural as we both get older. But it was more than that. There just seemed to be more bad news to deal with than ever before. It was then I asked him if he had seen the story about that helicopter in California. He had not. So, I told him the details. At the end of the story, he had to wipe away some tears. Apparently, he needed to hear that story as much as I did. We ALL do.
We both acknowledged that, ultimately, for every bad person in the world (and, yes, there ARE plenty) there are 10 good. We need to remember that.
Life is worth living – keep the faith.
Frank LoBuono is a Nyack Resident, photographer, blogger and retired CBS News journalist.
Photo by Frank LoBuono
