Cheddar cheese from Bravo Farms, Traver, Calif...

Cheddar cheese from Bravo Farms, Traver, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These Frito-Lay cheddar cheese crackers sure are good right here in the Lee University library in Cleveland, Tennessee. It says on the little clear and brick-colored wrapper that these are officially “Cheddar Cheese Flavored Filling on GOLDEN TOAST (trademark sign) Crackers.” Also, the cheddar cheese is “Cheetos” brand and it feels kinda happy (or not miserable) just to eat these buttery-cheesy crackers this afternoon.

It would be easy enough to dwell on the little bad things, in addition to the deeply painful tragedies we endure. Sometimes we can’t help it. It can all add up fast. But I won’t make a long list of annoying little things, but you get it. You know what it feels like when somebody annoys you or hurts your feelings or worries you first thing in the morning or last thing at night. What did that woman mean, waving me out of the way in the post office parking lot, like I’d done something wrong? But maybe it was me, not paying attention. Good grief!

Here are some good things to think about. I’ve already mentioned those good crackers, which I already finished and threw the wrapper in the garbage can. Garbage cans are good. It’s good to have a place where we can throw our junk and not litter up the whole world any worse than we already have.

By the way, the other day I was driving behind a big garbage truck and traffic was slowed down behind the truck while two men ran back and forth, from the street to the truck, running and hefting and lifting those heavy and full plastic garbage cans while everybody was looking and waiting. I wanted to get out of the car and thank those men for the work they do, because it’s hard work—and probably harder when people are waitin’ and starin’ behind the truck. There must be a way to thank people who do the “dirty jobs,” like that show on television.

It wears me out just to think about it, about all the dirty jobs and all the other jobs, about how to be grateful and say or feel “thank you” for all the people doing the dirty jobs and all other jobs that help keep the world up and running or limping along.

We’re all inter-connected and inter-dependent and just like President Obama said, we didn’t build anything all by ourselves. Somebody thought of cheddar cheese and buttery crackers and putting those two things together and somebody had to make the good crackers and make the good cheddar cheese and somebody else had to take care of the dairy cows and somebody else drove that dairy cow’s milk to market and so on and so forth.

It won’t work to dance with the devil and none of us should even try, for our own good and everybody else’s. But whenever possible, it soothes the soul to be glad for the good little things people do or that we take for granted. Have you ever thought about being glad about the goodness of a bath or a shampoo? This morning a woman who’s in her 70s told me she cannot take a whole bath or full shower, but only sponge baths. She has health problems and said the water sometimes causes her to have seizures. She lives alone, with nobody to help her. But this woman was so glad today, because she had been able to wash her hair without having a seizure. Her hair looked so soft and pretty. Imagine that. Imagine having to risk your life just to wash your hair.

It’s amazing, isn’t it? It’s amazing.

So, if nothing else (and sometimes that’s all there is) we can try to be kind to the next person and so on and so forth, as much as it’s up to us. Right now we all live together here on Earth. We can’t think of and thank each other enough. But it’s still possible, when it’s safe and sane, to fill out the flavor for somebody somewhere. That way, hope springs eternal in the human heart. I hope we all have a good Monday night and hope to see you Tuesday!

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