Morning Open Thread is a daily, copyrighted post, from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and
share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
This series was conceived as a haven where folks can drop in to share conversation, ideas, weather reports, and music. Feel free to leave a note, comment, picture, or tune. As always the diarist gets to sleep in, and may show up long after the post is published. So you know, it's a feature, not a bug.
Pull up a chair, get your cup of tea, coffee, or other favorite morning beverage and join us for a neighborly start to the day ahead.
The news from all over has ranged from bad to terrifying. Sometimes it feels we are living in a strange dystopian movie, waiting for the hero to come save the day at the last minute.
I have news, WE are the hero of our own story. If anyone has not read Dr. Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces, you should. Campbell writes,
“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”
The hero legend is not a myth. We all have the seeds in us. The hero’s journey requires courage, willingness to sacrifice oneself for the common good, and if the hero is lucky and skillful enough, they get to return to the village to tell the tale. We face an enemy that cannot be seen, felt, or tasted. And that enemy has the power to kill us and our loved ones. But we can fight back. Soap and hot water, basic precautions of staying away from possible disease vectors, and above all, keeping a winning mood. Good cheer has the power to boost the immune system.
In that vein, I only bring one little video this morning. Please watch it all the way through, but fair warning:
DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO WHILE EATING OR DRINKING!
You have been warned. Management does not take responsibility for keyboards, monitors, frightened cats, or sprains if you fall off your chair on the floor.
This is an open thread. We have jokes, weather reports, lies stories, and gossip. Come in and have a chair with good company.
If you finished watching the video, then...and only then…get your favorite morning brew cup and sit a spell.