ME: Hello?????
GOD: Be right with you.
ME: A little busy are we?
GOD: What’s with the ‘tude?
ME: Um, 2020? I mean really, God, WTF?
GOD: OK, not the best year, I grant you.
ME: Not the best?!? A bit of an understatement, don’t we think?
GOD: Not a great year. How’s that?
ME: Great?
GOD: It sucked, OK? Does suck work for you?
ME: Well now you’re in the ballpark at least. Last year you talked about all of the hope and promise of a new year. Then comes COVID, wildfires, the election… 2020 turned out to be a shit sandwich.
GOD: There have been worse years.
ME: Not for RBG. Or Kobe. Or Chadwick Boseman. Or Alex Trebek. Shall I go on?
GOD: Big losses.
ME: Even Squiggy bit the dust. Big disappointment.
GOD: You know what else was a big disappointment this year?
ME: You?
GOD: I was referring to YOU. To people generally.
ME: You’re going to blame us for all of this stuff?
GOD: You get a true measure of a person’s character when you see how they deal with adversity.
ME: Did you read that in a fortune cookie somewhere?
GOD: Stick with me for a minute. It’s one thing to be dealt a bad hand. Everyone faces adversity or disappointment at one time or another. The question always comes down to how are you going to respond to it?
ME: Was this some
sort of test?
GOD: Life is a test. Everyday is a test. Regardless of whether it is a good day or a bad day, everyone needs to determine what kind of person they want to be. What kind of world they want to live in. When 2020 dealt you a “shit sandwich” as you called it, how did you respond?
ME: I just tried to get through it.
GOD: So many people got angry, got divisive. They found someone to blame for the situation. They chose to believe the lies of others rather than maintaining an open mind. Rather than opening their minds to the views and opinions of others, they demonized them. Rather than just disagreeing, people called those with opposing viewpoints evil. They fought, threatened, ignored…
ME: People were angry.
GOD: After 9-11, people were angry too. But people in your country and around the world banded together and rose to the occasion. They helped and donated and looked out for each other. While there are many first responders doing the same, there were far too many who looked to place blame.
ME: I see what you mean.
GOD: And wearing masks?!?! Rather than just wearing a mask and social distancing to protect themselves and others, too many people turned it into a political statement. More than 1.5 million people have died from COVID with almost 20% of those from the United States. That many people didn’t need to die. And people are still dying.
ME: Now you sound mad.
GOD: Not mad – just disappointed. People are better than that. I’ve seen it. When it is easy to help someone else without hurting yourself, most people do it. We need more people to do it now. We need more patience, kindness and cooperation. Compromising or lending a helping hand isn’t a sign of weakness – it is a sign that you’re a decent human being. Got it?
ME: I hear you.
GOD: Good. Now get busy doing it.
ME: Yes sir. And thanks.
Frosty
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