Last week, I was pleasantly surprised to get an invitation to meet up with a former colleague for lunch at a local Clarkston restaurant.
We spent nearly two hours talking about everything under the sun – family, work, the pandemic, vaccines, masks, sports, you name it.
And it was totally judgment-free.
We voiced our opinions on what is happening in society and how the world has changed in the past two years.
And guess what? We actually got along and respected each other’s opinions.
Imagine that.
Maybe there is hope yet, eh?
The point I am making is that as social media has grown and given everybody a voice on issues and matters affecting our everyday lives, we have forgotten to agree to disagree.
Instead, if someone doesn’t agree with our specific viewpoints, we get attacked personally and told we are wrong, horrible people.
Not last Thursday.
Maybe that day was a rare occurrence, but it was a breath of fresh air for me personally.
Not a day goes by that opinions about society aren’t plastered all over social media, igniting keyboard wars that lead to absolutely nowhere.
I used to be very active on social media, and to an extent, I still am, but nowadays, I take a different approach.
You just have to laugh, people. Just enjoy life for what it is. Focus on the positive, and yes, there are plenty of positives for us to enjoy. I promise.
Yes, 2020 and 2021 have totally altered our routines and what we had been used to forever.
I get that.
And we all have our opinions on what is happening with the pandemic and all that goes along with that.
I get that.
And it will get better.
It HAS to, right?
There is light at the end of this tunnel and we’ll get there. I think we have all been pretty patient since that crazy month of March 2020 and we are all anxious for life to get back to what we know and treasure.
The hope is there and the willingness to move forward is there, too.
Optimism, folks. Optimism.

— Matt Mackinder