MattMunnell.com

I write a lot of my posts in a “stream of conscious” sort of way. I start with a general thought and then just type away. It may not make for elegant writing but it’s just something I like to do so I do it. Others have told me to write, edit, rewrite, edit again and then rewrite before posting. When I write my book I’ll do that and more but this blog…it’ll happen mostly freeform. So, don’t grade the spelling or grammar!

Like today’s post…

Today will just be sharing a few thoughts as they come to mind. So here we go…

My church, LifebridgeSavannah.com has a “drivethru” every Saturday morning from 11am – 1pm. We give away lunches. This started with the school shutdown in March and recognizing a need that there are people in our community that could use some help. By all accounts it is a moving experience for those volunteering and an emotional experience for all involved – those passing out the food and those receiving it. My wife, Janet, is volunteering today. I am looking forward to hearing her stories from today and seeing her excitement as she tells them!

I am amazed at the strong feelings on both sides of the coronavirus debate on the lockdown, shutdown, shelter in place – whatever you choose to call it. Part of my mind says I shouldn’t be amazed but I am. There is such strong feelings on both sides and seemingly very little in the middle. Maybe that’s just the nature of things – very vocal extremes while most of us reside in the middle and we’re just trying to figure out what’s right for us and our family and friends. It’s tough. I just remember saying back in March “I hope this is an overreaction because we certainly can’t under-react.” Many agreed but it also seems like many have forgotten. I don’t know what the right answer is but I am also not in any of the groups must affected either way. My job is not in jeopardy (don’t have one), my finances are ok, my health is generally ok – me and my family are good. I’m guessing if I fell into a group that was greatly affected by all this I would have some extreme views…I don’t know. I think we need to take precautions while working toward living our lives. Mostly we need to do what we have to do to keep the most vulnerable safe and secure. What does that look like? Probably a combination of the extremes.

TikTok is hilarious. You can lose yourself down that rabbit hole. It’s also. a lot of fun watching my daughter, her friends and my neighbor’s kids create TikToks. Sure, we might be supplying China with valuable information but it sure is funny.

However, Social Media scares the crap out of me as I have young daughters. How we are going to manage the onslaught as my girls enter their pre-teen and teen years is going to be a challenge. It’s fun now but it can turn quickly. We’ll have to figure out screen time limits and access. I can’t wait…ugh

We met a guy while we were walking our neighborhood the other day. We had a nice chat and the next thing I knew Janet was cooking dinner for him and his wife. Making friends through food always works. But here is what is great from this story – his wife said that when he went out for his walk he was mad. He had received some news that he didn’t like and it really affected him. He went out to try to blow off steam. When he came back she wondered what happened to him – in a good way! She said that he was full of energy and the madness and tension that he left with were gone. She asked him what he did and he said he met us. Sweet! You know how our conversation started – a talk about the weather. “Hey.” “Hey.” “It’s beautiful today.” “Yes it is.” “It’s supposed to be 92 degrees Saturday.” And that’s how a friendship starts. We talked about the weather, moved to the gnats (a common enemy!), then went to jobs – I learned a lot about the railroad, then food…it was great. So many people are afraid to strike up conversations with other people. Folks are always staring down at their phones. Lift your heads up and say “Hi, it’s a beautiful day” and see what happens.