Current Headlines

I remember how I loved holding the crisp daily Augusta Chronicle and scanning the headline prints. I can even smell the sharp ink and see the fuzz and dots on the edge where the paper got cut.

If something looked worthy in the headlines a person could delve in deep and read the whole thing. At times the most inspiring articles were way in the middle sections under some unique title that caught the eye and I'd speed read and then re-read the writing. There was a pastor that wrote newsy church articles and an editorial who always came up with creative daily tidbits. Dad would often read the articles that caught his eye aloud and we'd all stop to listen and discuss it. Mom spent her time with the newspaper while drinking coffee with her head tilted so her glasses focused just right. (Oh, now I miss my folks.)

With the encouragement of Bob Goff, I'd like to keep up on current headlines with people. There are so many people in this world it feels overwhelming in the big picture. When I get in shoulder bumping proximity with people, let me take time to find out "What's your current headline?"

Maybe to get to know someone's headline I have to let them know what's happening in my life. This people reading takes time, but it's sure worthier time than what I've wasted reading trashy opinionated news online.

Along with that headline sharing I need to practice how to keep the conversation ball going. Toss the conversation back with an answer and a question. This is easy with my everyday people but with strangers it requires focus. After headlines are scanned, maybe a little silence is okay or perhaps the chatter can get lively. I bumped into someone's passion the other day and they took off in a streak of conversation and I loved it that I finally got to know some more of them. Now I know exactly what I can talk about with them and it feels like we became closer friends. Passions get pursued in solitude, but once shared they can draw people closer in an effort to expand our worlds.

We aren't wooden people all made in a factory with the same genetic mix. We are living breathing works of art that can be learned from and added to. Holding a newspaper isn't like holding a wooden blank board, it is a floppy personalized publication unique to the printing press it came off of. Let's make sure we take advantage of all our differences and enjoy them. Maybe the person who looks so wooden just hasn't learned how to put the daily headlines of their life into words. Emotional neglect or something has caused them to disconnect but let's all disconnect from media and re-work our lives back to the friendly neighbourhoods of yesterday.

The Spanish people are skilled at conversation, passing musical words of greetings from their family to mine at the beginning and end of every conversation. I can settle into that old town of Guastatoya easily because words and good humour flow as soon as a person steps onto the street. I feel like smiling just remembering how a walk to the market becomes headlines from many doorways, storefronts, taxi drivers and street sweepers all the way. They might compliment me on my health, inquire about my family's health, and tell me about their parents health. Now that I think about it, Southerners are good at this too. "How's your Momma and Daddy? How all them chilluns doing? Tell 'em all I says hi, will you?" I love my home in Canada but the people here could sure learn how to be more nosy.

Here's today's headline in the Isaac Chronicle; Rodent Escape

(If you feel like knowing the whole story) Lynnea our night owl, saw a mouse run under the couch at 10 last night and called me out of bed. Kajsa, our drama player, shrieked and jumped on a chair but then she recovered and got a broom to help chase. We set glue traps at the edges of the couch but the gray body dashed into a bedroom and down an open register. The bedroom got cleaned last night and I'm busy today with the glue traps and the vacuum cleaner and bleach in our storage rooms so this does not become a mouse infestation.

I hope your current news is better than this, but if not, take courage .Tell someone the whole article of your news and they can pray for you. I know people are praying for me after I told the mouse news to some friends and it gives me courage.

"We're all just walking each other home," as Ram Dass says and I doubt I'll make it home without these friends who care about my current headlines. So thanks, dear ones (you know who you are) for caring about the headlines and staying close enough to hear the whole story. You're teaching me a lot.