If you’re paying attention, the current political climate has become impossibly ludicrous. Politicians bought and sold to the highest bidder, average folks be damned. When I spend too much time watching the news or reading commentary I find myself losing ground in my goal to live mindfully, in gratitude, inhabiting each precious moment. Worry, fear, and downright disbelief at what some charlatans are seemingly getting away with at the expense of our nation…and ultimately our world, causes me to forget to breathe. And of course, it’s miserably downhill from there. Breathing, as we all know is kind of important.

To calm myself, I have come up with a Credo (Latin for “I Believe”) list to remind me that there are certain truths I can depend on. Goals not too lofty or impossible to realize. Simple basics that I know are possible, that I trust are possible if enough of us believe. This little list is something I intend to refer to, (even if just line by line as a situation arises) and repeat like a mantra, to bring me back to the moment, to sanity, to remind me to breathe, and to guide me to gratefulness for the goodness that exists, even if it’s hard to perceive it in the cacophony of the absurdity around me.

In times like these…
I believe in the inherent goodness of humanity.
I believe the paths that guide our moral compasses are many, equally inspiring when they draw us to the light.
I believe that truth will ultimately win over spin and dishonesty.
I believe it is possible to exist with our neighbors in peace, bypassing war through diplomacy.
I believe we can care for our sick, our poor, and our outcasts without taking from another.
I believe that hard working people deserve to be paid a living wage.
I believe justice will prevail when we leave aside our egos and come to the table.
I believe that civil liberty and freedom are our birthrights, not to be dictated by arbitrary belief systems.
I believe we owe it to our Mother, Earth, to care for her waterways, her greenways and her skyways.
I believe in educating our young to carry our legacy of innovation into the future, without burdening their futures in the process.
I believe in honoring those who’ve served us in war, calamity and peace by providing basic care and sustenance for as long as they have need.
I believe we owe gentle end of life care to our aging elders, basic security of shelter, health and food.
I believe in supporting life in all of its stages, not just its embryonic beginnings.
I believe in families, large and small, organic and blended, in various flavors, colors and varieties, where love is key and the only thing that matters.
I believe one day we will look beyond our differences, acknowledging the common thread that binds us together as one race, one family.
And because I believe, no amount of lunacy or madness can dissuade me…
And because I believe, I have hope.