Sometimes I still act 12. I just heard the DJ on the radio say “sometimes it touches us in places we don’t want to be touched,” and I giggled. Now, he was being completely serious, though I suspect he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his word choice after the fact. Describing the station’s upcoming benefit for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, he was attempting to convey the mental and emotional tirade that one endures during the 2-day radio-athon. He said sometimes you want to cry because of all the kids with horrible conditions and other times you’re overwhelmed with joy because of all the good that St. Jude, supported by generous listeners, does for the kids and their families. And I giggled.
In my defense, the “giggle” could very well have been an involuntary and uncontrollable release of tension and stress that is currently boiling beneath my skin; but, admittedly, it was more likely a remnant of the Beavis & Butthead years. In all seriousness, though, the DJ’s point is well made. Organizations like St. Jude do stir mixed emotions, shining a light on the suffering that exists in this world while working and encouraging others to join the fight to alleviate as much of that suffering as possible. Take a look at all the good St. Jude is doing here.
Thankful though many of us are that our own children are healthy, we sometimes have mixed emotions about them as well. For instance, I love my kids so much that I want to spend every minute I can with them, watching anything on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon so much that I can quote the characters, or worse yet can imagine what the characters would say or do in a particular situation and refer to same in “grown-up” conversation (oh, the horror!), rather than sending them to watch the “spare TV” to preserve my sanity. Yes, it’s true; contrary to popular belief, I do not actually like Spongebob that much! BUT … despite all that love … as I sit here waiting to pick them up from school and thinking of the can’t-put-it-off-any-longer-or-we’ll-be-eating-cardboard-boxes trip to the grocery store that we all must make this afternoon, knowing I might desperately need a laugh, I’m hoping and praying that something Beavis & Butthead-ish will “touch” me again. (Yep, I went there…).
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