He’s Back Safely With Stories to Tell
Those of you who read my September 19th entry know my son went off on a two/three day job that involved a potentially violent situation. He went to do what he loves…film. He got back at 6:30 a.m. yesterday morning. I walked at seven and we met right after that for a quick discussion about his trip.  Â
I am not able to tell all the stories here, but several of them are worth mentioning here. He had the chance to interview the top two leaders of a, shall we say, group with a reputation for violence and disruption. He said it was like walking back into the 1960s to see them. They were dressed in the same garb that identified them as a rough, rowdy, dangerously violent group back then.Â
During the interview they were a bit more subdued (thank goodness since it was MY son that interviewing/filming them), but still look the same as over 40 years ago. They actually interviewed quite well…obviously wanting to put their best foot forward for the cameras and the upcoming documentary. Then there was the limo driver/assistant for a famous human rights advocate. He was in hopes of getting a quick talk with that advocate but time didn’t permit since my son was due at another site in 20 minutes. The driver, however, shared some interesting information/stories about the advocate.Â
Finally, and of most concern to me if I had been there, was the story of a brief altercation with one of the many people he encountered. It was not pleasant; honestly, it was down right rude and confrontational. I am proud to say my son handled it well and without injury to either party.He said something very insightful at the end of our conversation. “You know, there were lots of people there with issues that went far beyond what was going on at that moment. All you had to do was to stand and watch to figure that out.” He said.
We both agreed that there were some people there who – if he had heard their story – he surely would have understood their anger and hostility. We agreed that life is often unfair and that some people bounce back easier than others.  We agreed that open anger and hostility is not the way to take it out…but that sometimes people just aren’t able to move on from there and get stuck in that pattern. Without help the pattern just continues. There is much more that could be said here but I will stop at this point. Like I said before, I am proud of my son. I’m proud of him for following his career passions. I’m proud of him for taking a chance to do what he loves…and ever so grateful he got back safe to tell the stories.Â
My wish for you today is that you are always learning how to deal with life’s challenges effectively. Most often, that means dealing with them peacefully. There are times, however, when life takes a turn and you need to be more forceful. Just be careful of yourself and those around you if you choose to deal with it that way. ~ Joellen