What's your story, Morning Glory?

Is it just me, or is reading and listening to the news these days depressing beyond words?  I mean, even beyond the war and the economy going into the toilet.  I'm pretty optimistic by nature but the pervasively gloomy atmosphere can really exert a drag if you're not careful.  To take one example, I may not be the best informed person in town because I can barely stand to look at The Daily Olympian's sloppily written, badly designed, commercial (ad and pop-up infested) website let alone spend money for the paper itself. (Unless, of course, I was in need of fishwrap or something for a puppy to piddle on.)

If I make the mistake of reading the "comments" posted on Daily O stories, I usually end up with steam coming out my ears.   All you seem to get, with rare exceptions, is a never-ending stream of mean-spiritedness, ignorance, sniping, and bad punctuation from a few  extraordinarily prolific individuals with too much time on their hands, opposable thumbs, and computer access.  I guess I'm not really a fan of unmoderated comments, since that model doesn't tend to contribute to meaningful debate or the public good.  It's just deeply, deeply depressing.  Apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way, either.

No wonder I tend to get my news from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The news is just as depressing, but at least it comes with intelligence, perspective and now and again a belly laugh, the most recent example being the absolutely brilliant takedown of the mainstream media (and Fox News's) "analysis" of Obama's speech on race in America.

But I digress! This post didn't start out to be a diatribe.  I was running errands on my lunch hour and listening as KPLU FM (NPR, jazz) saluted Marian McPartland's 90th birthday by playing her version of "What's Your Story, Morning Glory?" by Mary Lou Williams, among others.  (You can find it on iTunes here if you are inclined).  It just reminded me that there are such things as strength, grace, and resilience in life -- not to mention joy -- and people among  us who embody those things.  Not 10 minutes later I saw a little girl about five years old bursting out of a store ahead of her mom with a smile so full of life, so beautiful that it outshone the sun.  Then I found a great new pair of shoes. Really cheap.  Ain't life grand?