Show #217

Hello Friends of the Garden!

First and foremost I want to express my sorrow and sympathy for the victims of the Dallas shootings. I grew up in Dallas and still have several friends there. Texans are typically a proud group of people (sometimes to the point of annoyance) and while they can seem to show a blind eye to the shortcomings of the state, I know that today their pride is collectively wounded! My heart goes out to all who are hurting and facing a new future that doesn't include their loved ones.

Lately, one of my favorite activities when I'm at the coast is to go to the beach and look for sea glass. I decided I would take some time to think after I heard about the events in Dallas. It has become an excellent opportunity to gather my thoughts and center myself as I search for the proverbial needle in the haystack that sea glass is! Sometimes the pieces of sea glass that I find are infinitesimally small and easily overlooked. As I always do, while my eyes search for glass, my mind searches for answers to everything and anything.

The beautiful blue of the ocean in the bright sun, the crisp breeze that came off the water and the rainbow of colors from the rocks and pebbles all served as a trigger to allow my mind to wander. Many of my friends have made little jokes about me having ADHD because of the way my mind leaps from one seemingly disconnected idea to another! Something kept coming to mind as I thought, movies and my Mom!

My Mom loved to watch "get even" movies! She always loved to see the bad guys get their comeuppance. Worse still she was always asking questions during the movie as if she could talk to the actors. She'd say things like, "Why are you doing that you dummy?"

Ooh, and when it was payback time, she liked it a LOT when things were made square! If it didn't end with the "good guys" ending up on top it wasn't a very good movie! Most of my family, my son in particular, were always entertained by the animated way my Mom got into her movies!

I was a TV kid growing up. At the time TV was our equivalent to the internet. T.V. wasn't even in color yet. I watched all kinds of shows like Rawhide, The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, The Rifleman, Lassie, Dragnet, I Spy, The Man from UNCLE, Bonanza, Have Gun Will Travel and many others. One thing that was almost always clear in all of those shows was that there was a clear "good guy" and a definite "bad guy".

While I searched for sea glass, I also searched for answers. I realized that during that simple, naive time of my youth that the distinction between the "good guys" and the "bad guys" had blurred over time! Like water on a sidewalk in Fresno during July it seems like the "good guys" have evaporated in to the atmosphere! Where did the "good guys" go? We basically mistrust everyone now and their intentions, the police, the government, schools, you name it! By proxy, they all have become the "bad guys" because we don't agree.

So, it's simple, we just need the "good guys" to come back! Unfortunately, some of these "bad guys" are so clouded by their disappointment that they think they are doing the work of the "good guys"! So, where the heck did the "good guys" go?

I think I know where the "good guys" are. They are your good friends, the ones you share you deepest hurts and hopes with! They are the ones that take care of their families and their friends. They are the ones that love you enough to see past your shortcomings and still value your friendship. Basically, they the ones at arms reach, someone you have interaction with at some level.

If we can grow those relationships at a local level we can prepare ourselves to make the next step. That next step will be to take our collective faith, love and compassion beyond our immediate sphere of influence to a community level. If every circle of friends bound together to do this in each and every community across America we would have an opportunity to find the new "good guys"! We could trust again! We could have faith in goodness again! WE COULD DO ANYTHING!

Will Rogers said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." I know my ideas may sound overly simplistic but, we have to do something! We can't just sit and watch any more! I've always joked with my friend John about using my radio show as "a bully pulpit for pacifism"! It makes me laugh because of the dichotomy of the statement, as if you could "bully" someone into being nice! It's time though to restore trust and faith to our society for ALL!

My heart hurts for how we are killing each other!

On to Show #217! Well, I was definitely inspired to put together a show that conveyed the way I am feeling! The greater part of this show is all about positivity, goodness and valuing each other! In and amongst the message for this show are Greg Trooper, Jerry Douglass (awesome), The Red Dirt Rangers are all first timers to the SGP! The Cracker tune may offend some but try to think of how my mind works and you'll laugh with me at it! I really felt good putting this show together and hope you get the vibe I was focussed on!

Thanks Robin and Jerry! Both of you do a great job of helping me see and understand myself with your patience and tenderness! You two have done a great job of building my confidence to do the things I do! What more could you ask for?

Thank you listeners! I hope you know that I'm happy if you enjoy the music and I don't expect you to agree with me on what I write about. I'm just trying to do my best and assure you that my heart is in the right place! 

Peace and love to you all!

Mike