Well . . . I did not hit the lottery. But the cost (my share, above and beyond insurance) of my most expensive prescription drug did drop from $151 to $93 per month. Now I can afford that really great brand of toilet paper. That’s certainly a good thing.

I ate two 4-oz. cups of Haagen-Dazs ice cream in one day and didn’t gain any weight. Also a good thing.

And all my orders from Amazon arrived in a single delivery this week. Yay!

If you think I’m grasping at straws here, I am. And it’s because I couldn’t find anything to cheer about in the news during the past seven days — just the usual litany of disasters, despotism and depravity. So I turned once again to CNN’s The Good Stuff column, which this Saturday was a collection of somewhat unusual stuff, to-wit:

– An 85-year-old man in England who finally, after 30 years, fulfilled his dream of completing his “geologically correct” and “aesthetically pleasing” rock map of Scotland. It took a lot of trips, but now perhaps he can relax and spend his retirement years admiring his uniquely beautiful creation.

– A much younger Irish explorer who has claimed the Ultimate Explorer’s Grand Slam prize (a thing I didn’t even know existed) for having climbed the highest mountain on every continent, touched the North and South Poles (not, I presume, at the same time), and visited every country on the globe. Quite an accomplishment. I wonder where he’ll choose to take his vacation next year.

– A sweet story about a tailless squirrel who is managing to enjoy life despite his embarrassing disability . . . a nice “tale” of inclusiveness in the squirrel community.

– A list of the least-visited national parks in the United States . . . prepared, I assume, for the benefit of those who have been everywhere else. Perhaps that Irish explorer.

– And speaking of toilet paper . . . there was an advertisement for that very thing, only this is made of three-ply bamboo. Now, that is good news, especially for the trees of this world. Not surprisingly, though, it’s pricey: $66 for 24 extra large rolls of 340 sheets each. The equivalent amount of my favorite high-end brand costs $40 (in that big box from Amazon shown above). Good news for the environment, but not-so-good for the budget.

*. *. *

So do you see what I mean? These stories don’t exactly change the world (except maybe that toilet paper) — no great medical discoveries, no end to any wars, no solution to the climate crisis. They’re just pleasant offerings about people (including one squirrel-stalker) who have found a smidgen of momentary joy in an otherwise joyless week.

But come to think of it, isn’t that what most of us are looking for: a bit of day-to-day happiness to take us away, even for a little while, from all of the doom and gloom?

And that is a very good thing indeed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/3/24