An October Monday We Would All Like To Forget

My wife Holly woke me up Monday morning not to wish me a happy 18th wedding anniversary but instead told me to turn on the TV. It was not the start to a day off that I could have fathomed. A mass shooting at a country music festival. Over 50 dead and hundreds injured. I sat there numb for a moment and then proceeded to help get the kids ready and off to school. Numb. I still am today. Another day, another mass shooting in America.

I'm not going to get preachy and talk guns here. It's not the point. The point is that I have become numb to the news of this happening. I've seen and reported it too many times already. I feel bad that I feel this way. Holly sat and watched and teared up several times during the coverage yesterday. I felt no emotions. Sure I shared empathy with the victims and anyone who had to go through the awful ordeal. But was I shocked? Sadly, no. It seems as if the world we live in today, the value of human life has been cheapened. Being civil to others of an opposite view is a thing of the past. It's all about who's right and who's wrong. I get the need to find a motive and get answers. But can we just grieve a bit first?

There are good stories coming out of Vegas. Stories of strangers helping strangers. People standing in line for up to 6 hours to give blood. The heroic efforts of first responders and police. It's a reminder that the best of America is still out there.

And then, as if we hadn't had enough bad news on a Monday, we got word that music icon Tom Petty had died of a heart attack. Just 66, Petty has inspired countless artists in a variety of genres, including country. It was just too much to take. I turned off my TV last night and put on Damn The Torpedoes. As Refugee played throughout my house and into the night, I thought to myself, has there ever been a Tuesday I've looked forward to more?