Many years ago, I was on a day trip through a city in Sonoma County. The city was in the midst of an election, as candidate signs were posted on every corner, every lamppost, and every storefront window.
My traveling companion was quite annoyed with the clutter, and voiced great distain for politics in general. Not wanting to engage in a debate on what was to be a fun and relaxing outing, I kept relatively quiet during the disapproving rant.
But as we neared a corner where signs from both candidates were posted, I couldn’t help recognize the humor in the moment. One candidate’s name was White. The other candidate’s name was Wong. I chuckled a bit and said to my friend, “It seems like there’s a clear-cut decision in this election. Either you vote White, or its Wong.”
After a good laugh between the two of us, the trip returned to its intended relaxing rhythm.
Nearly forty years later, the story came back into memory, and reminded me that too often we can get caught up in the negative assessments of life. While life does present its share of challenges, it also bestows reasons to smile – opportunities to make joy our perspective.
“And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be crazy, by those who could not hear the music.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche