If I was in charge of the world rant

 I’ve always loved this poem by celebrated author Judith Viorst and I recently found an old copy clipped from a magazine that I'd stuck away long ago. 

If I were in charge of the world
    by Judith Viorst

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel oatmeal,
Monday mornings,
Allergy shots, and also
Sarah Steinberg.

If I were in charge of the world 
There’d be brighter night lights,
Healthier hamsters, and 
Basketball baskets 48 inches lower.

If I were in charge of the world

You wouldn't have lonely. 

You wouldn't have clean.

You wouldn't have bedtimes,

Or "Don't punch your sister."

You wouldn't even have sisters.

If I were in charge of the world

A chocolate sundae with whipped 

    cream and nuts

    would be a vegetable.

All 007 movies would be G.

And a person who sometimes forgot to brush.

And sometimes forgot to flush,

Would still be allowed to be 

In charge of the world.

I love the child’s perspective but as I read it over several times the day I discovered it in an old notebook of mine I couldn’t help but reflect on how I see it now because I'm taking in all the news of the world and struggling with it. I'm thankful to have a Democratic president in the WH and he makes mistakes but right now there is an overwhelming amount of terribleness happening even beyond Covid-19. Here's my version; not as much fun yet it fits all my worries in just as Viorst's young character has his list of annoyances. 

If I were in charge of the world 

If I were in charge of the world

we would have never gone to Afghanistan in the first place
But because we did invade I certainly would have pulled Afghan families 
who helped us out of the country first, we owe them a safe place to live.

If I were in charge of the world

I would help Haiti, the tiny island country
That the French and Americans historically have ravaged
I would write a decree that these two wealthy nations would
build a workable infrastructure that will withstand the weather.
The Haitian people should build alongside us at living wages so they might prosper
And have a real chance to recover. 

If I were in charge of the world
Marijuana charges would be dropped and factory farms would be shuttered forever. 
Real farms would thrive and high fructose corn syrup would be a distant memory.
Higher education and health insurance would be affordable for all. 

If I were in charge of the world

Donald Trump would be already in prison for tax evasion,

inciting the insurrection on January 6th, and

for mocking the  pandemic and wearing a mask.

A health crisis that could have been a means to unite us

turned into a political shit storm.

Raging fires and massive storms

too many to count. Climate change

Maybe Greta Thunberg would be my #1

If I were in charge of the world

I wouldn't be able to stop or fix all of these things

but I'd have empathy, I'd listen and try to help as much as possible

with new solutions and out-of-the-box thinking.

The end (but literally the list could go on and on)

As a highly empathetic person it is hard to bear everything in the world today. And I'm back in school which is wonderful on one side-great to see all the students but also worried for outbreaks with all of us together. Most students are not masked up and I didn't want to go back to school with a mask on but I am wearing it as much as possible to stay safe and model that we do hard things to keep others safe. The world is a mess and it is also filled with beauty. 

When I feel all of this I have to seek out my community of friends and I find my way to the mat with Adriene. My yoga quest continues and that all helps. So does cooking up a storm. I also imagined I left for Haiti one day...

August is ending. Maybe the softer temperatures of September will bring relief.