What gives you hope for us all?

[warch]

Ok, just in time for the holidays....
We've talked about what offends and ticks us all off. So what experiences have you had that give you a glimmer of hope? What ecentric people have reconfirmed the wonderful strangeness of life? What's just made you smile?

One of my favorites: I was supervising some 8-10 year old boys as they played a rough game of ball tag. Playground dynamics can be fascinating. The leader, an alpha boy named Eamon, was getting ticked off at this younger, prone to crying and refusing-to-be-called-out kid. As it got a bit outta hand, I tried to respect the playground justice system, yet still get Eamon to include the little kid- "give him a break, he's trying, he's had a rough day" and the line that automatically came out of my mouth (in my own mother's voice), "extend the hand of kindness."

Play resumed for about 5 minutes when I turned to find a dramatic Eamon, poised on the top of the tower of the playscape, clutching the ball, red faced, raising his fist and slowly shouting between clenched teeth to the dumb struck rabble below " I AM TRYING TO EXTEND THE HAND OF KINDNESS!"

Of course, then all hell broke loose. but, ah, a great image -the eternal struggle.