Tom Finneran: Solitude, Attitude, Gratitude

Friday, July 03, 2020

Tom Finneran, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Tom Finneran is the former Speaker of the House in Massachusetts

We enter month four of the Covid-19 global pandemic, anxious for encouraging news. We are saddened by what has been lost---the lives of loved ones, the cancellation of unifying events, even the loss of innocence regarding our healthcare system.

Recent upticks in infections in California, Texas, and Florida give us pause. We are all anxious to “re-open” and to return to “normal” as soon as possible but who wants to risk a re-run of overwhelmed intensive care units and exhausted healthcare workers? Who wants a panic-driven re-run on toilet paper and Clorox wipes?

A peculiar irony of quarantining with loved ones is the occasional desire for solitude. Call it a yearning for silence and space, even with those couples who might share a good walk and talk together every day. Whether it’s a solo walk later in the day or curling up with a book in the quietest corner in the house, solitude helps to gather one’s thoughts and to say one’s prayers. Such solitude is even better if you can get an overdue task done at the same time. Weeding anyone? Great thoughts arrive while on your knees weeding the garden! Cleaning out the shed? Staining the deck? Taking a nap? All such activities are good, food for the mind and soul, giving us patience and perspective for the grind which lies ahead.

The secret weapon against that grind of course is one’s attitude. Attitude is everything. Your parents told you so and they were right. Your teachers told you as well. They too were right. Your coaches and your drill sergeants brought attitude to their tasks and they were sure to make you understand that attitude is the key to all achievement. The right attitude brings the mountain down to the sea. It breaks even a monumental task down to bite-size pieces and allows you to slay dragon after dragon rather than dreading the appearance of a gang of dragons. Of course it also helps to hold fast to the fact that many of your ancestors have slain their particular dragons with style and with dispatch. It’s now your turn and a friend might ask what’s taking you so long? It’s time to go out and kick some butt. Attitude matters.

We come to gratitude, more honored in lip service than in fact. We have so much for which to be grateful. Yes, our health is at some risk. Yes, our political scene is rancid. Yes, our streets are in turmoil. But we are in America, a land of hope, a land of opportunity, and a land of progress. Occasional setbacks are met with singular purpose and determination. As we speak, an American researcher at an American company is undoubtedly untangling the mystery of the Covid-19 virus. That scientist might be black, brown, or white. That scientist might be a man or a woman. But that scientist is a free American first and foremost. As we speak, a neighbor dips her toe into local political waters. She simply seeks to improve her community’s schools. Not for her are the nasty campaign ads of the day. Rather, she will ask questions, she will listen closely, and she will lead, doing so not for glory, not for herself, but for others. And America will take another step forward. She is grateful for America and we are grateful for her.

Solitude, attitude, and gratitude. They await your embrace.