Well hey there, folks!
Happy Monday! Happy new week! Happy March 7th!
Isn’t it crazy how fast the time is going? Before we know, it’s going to be Easter, Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and then 2023!
Like…wow.
Insane.
Anyhoo, I digress.
I’m currently sitting in my camping chair (since I no longer have a section at the moment), wrapped in a blanket with He’s Just Not That Into You playing in the background.
Sounds about right for Mr. Sunshine on a Sunday night, right?
Well, usually it is The Golden Girls, but since I gave them up for the next 40 days, I’ve started exploring some other options.
Soooo…basically that means pick the romantic comedy movie that resembles your life.
Mmmbyeee.
And as I sit here writing, I’m listening to the song “Undivided” on repeat.
It is a short little ballad, but one that packs quite the punch with its lyrics. It is sung by Country artists Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard.
It is a song that I haven’t listened to in quite some time, but with the current events happening in the world, I thought I would take another few listens.
And even though it has been a few months since it has played in my ears, I still get chills each time I listen.
Chills.
And those chills continue now as the song plays for what I think is the 15th time.
The lyrics are ones that continue to be extremely relevant to all that is happening in the world around us.
And after a week where we see more images of war in Ukraine and news about states across the United States discriminating against people who are gay or wanting to have abortions, it is a song that poses the question to each and every one of us:
When are we going to stop hating?
And anyone who knows me knows that I do not like the word hate. In fact, it is something that I wrote as one of my “fun facts” in the “About Mr. Sunshine” section of this very blog page. And, just in the off chance that you never read that section of this blog site, here it is:
“I don’t like the word “hate” and will often try to substitute with the phrase “dislike very much.” If you ever catch me saying the word “hate” in my writing or live conversation, please call me out and make me give you a dollar.”
But in all seriousness…
Are you able to answer the question that Tim and Tyler ask us in the song?
When are we going to start to see from someone else’s eyes?
When are we going to stop the hating?
When are we going to start making a difference and making the world a better place?
Every single day, when I wake up in the morning, I think about how I can work to make a difference in the world around me.
And every single day, when I read or hear about a story of violence, racism, hatred, or whatever type of darkness it might be, I become infuriated, deflated, and worrisome for the future.
But I also become even more passionate about making a difference in the world.
As I continue to live out my 34th year of life on this Earth, I continue to have the extreme conviction that God put me on this planet to make positive change while working to inspire others to do the same.
Could it be that something is brewing for the 2023 year after the rewarding Miles 4 Smiles endeavor that so many of you graciously journeyed with me for in 2021?
I am Mr. Sunshine. Hear me ROAR.
I don’t have the latest and greatest “stuff.”
I don’t live in the biggest house.
I don’t drive the fanciest car.
I don’t have a lot of money in the accounts.
I don’t find joy in spending money on all the “stuff.”
You can say that I’m someone who finds MORE with LESS.
I work hard each day with what I have to make positive change for others in this world that are struggling no matter what their story.
I work hard to try and inspire others to do the same through an energy that many of you have come to know as Mr. Sunshine.
How are you working to make positive change in this world?
How are you working to keep trails of undivided footprints for others to follow?
Are these questions that you have ever taken a few moments of your life to try and answer?
We all have the ability to make positive change in the world to lift others up.
Our world needs our light.
Our world world needs our kindness.
Our world needs our love.
Our world needs us all to make undivided footprints against hate, violence, racism, war, or whatever other type of darkness tries to engulf our lives and diminish the fire of passion that we have inside our souls.
Stop waiting.
Stop wondering “what if.”
Go and do.
Let’s make some undivided footprints together.
Sprinkle sunshine always,
JP!
Mr. Sunshine Smiles 