shit storm.

I woke up to a flurry of activity. People were running around, doing things while I was making my way to the little room where I piss. Like the drunken master, I was instinctively dodging and evading orders while ignoring shouts because only one thing was on my mind…I HAD TO PEE. After what seemed to me like a scene from saving Private Ryan, I was finally able to see the HOLY GRAIL of early morning bathroom-ritual artifacts; the toilet. And I pissed.
Most days, I’d be content with writing something insignificant like the paragraph you see above. But while I was pissing, I was nudged by the thought that there must be something worth saying aside from the usual attempt at humor.
Anyway, after what seemed like an eternity of piss, I eventually concluded the activity and went out to join the chaos. Clothes were flying, plastic bags were flying, even food—CANNED food for that matter, was flying. Confused? I wasn’t. Mom was already at least eight times busier yesterday shopping for food, clothes, bread and whatever else was needed in order to give to the dozens of people who’ve lost their things, their money, their homes, & most tragically, their loved ones.
I was inspired immediately so I said to mom: “Ma, what can I do to help?”
And due to her adept skill at task assignment, her being an engineer and all, simply said: “Clean up your dog’s shit in the attic”
So being the awesome team player that I am, I semi-resentfully went downstairs to get a broom, some soap, a mop, water, and a dustpan so that I could attend to my freshly awarded station as house maintenance man.
I proceeded to scrape the shit off the floor. I took the dog down to the garage and tied him up. I went back up to start mopping. While I was sloshing the shitty water around, a certain calm enveloped me. It was like my mind was somewhere else, stitching words. And in that moment, in my mind, I wrote the most perfect blog entry that would touch the hearts of everyone, including those that won’t be able to read it, but just hear from the news that the most perfect blog entry has just been published. And in that same moment, at the pinnacle of my epiphany, I stepped on a concealed dog shit. I could still recall its warmth as it graced my bare foot.
I was content washing the floor while others were helping the needy. I know it sounds weak and dumb, but I’m more than happy to stay out of everyone’s way if that’s how I could help. Maybe washing dog shit was my way of contributing, maybe that’s what I’m really supposed to be doing at that exact same time when others were sorting dead bodies, or distributing food, or saving lives.
This tragedy slapped me right in the eye. I’m an optimist, but it’s very challenging to remain positive and hopeful during the times when all you feel is helplessness. But, like mom said, there’s got to be someone available to clean the dog’s shit, and in that same regard, amidst all the sadness, the negativity, the hopelessness and depression, there’s got to be happy, hopeful, people who would take it up to themselves to raise the morale of everyone around them. There’s got to be some hope seen, some happiness passed around, some love shared so that things would (or at least would seem to) be easier.
I don’t want to be all carebare-y and all that kindergarten positivity crap, but I do want to at least make people feel less down. And I hope this pa-uso spreads. Make somebody laugh, or at least smile. You don’t have to give clothes or food or anything, you just have to be hopeful for the hopeless, be cheerful for the depressed, be there when someone needs you, and be as positive as you can. It might not be much, but it’s the least we could do.
PS: But if you’ve got the extra cash, extra clothes, extra food, that would still be much more appreciated than all the hopefulness you could muster.