You know what? The sun rose this morning. The Earth continued on its orbit around the sun. There were cars on the street. People were going about their business. CNN, MSNBC, et al. were still broadcasting the news. My daughter got up and went to school. My son woke up early in the morning with his trademark “feed me” cry. I still love my wife as much as ever.

Why then am I grasping at emotional straws this morning?

It turns out I’m not (well not anymore anyway), and it’s funny how life can work out for you like that. You see, there are still so many ways we can all make a difference, and I’m not just talking about politics. I’m talking about life. I came in to work feeling like a redistricted Texas Democrat on inauguration day. Then I got a phone call from a young person in need of a little help. I’ve never got a whole lot of personality to spare, and the situation was critical this morning, but I somehow scraped some together – and I helped this person. I could sense the change in tone on the other end of the line. It may have been trivial, heck – it may not have been all that helpful, but it only took a few minutes of my time. Now imagine all of those brief moments put together. Imagine what the cumulative effect could be.

Things may not always break your way, but never doubt that you can make a difference. You have that opportunity every moment of every day. Maybe you already knew this, but I needed some reminding this morning. If I’ve reminded even one person (myself included) then this entry is worth while.