My grandmother, Rose Ridnor, wrote a series of short essays under the title “Apropos.” This morning, while flipping through her writings, I discovered the golden nugget below, which is apropos for today’s political climate. This afternoon, Congress was expected to vote on the revised Americans Healthcare Act (AHCA), which would have repealed and replaced the Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed seven years ago under President Obama’s administration.

AHCA is a travesty, offering healthcare plans, which didn’t coverage essential medical services, like emergency room visits, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and addiction treatment, prescription dugs, preventive care, and much more.

There was absolutely nothing positive about the bill… except, the heartlessness of Republicans to replace the ACA created a firestorm of resistance, grassroots determination, and realization there’s an urgent need to pay attention to what elected officials are proposing and passing into law.

The pessimism of the Trump administration has ignited the optimism of Democrats and Independents to move the country towards more equity and programs that support all Americans.

What my grandmother wrote forty or more years ago still rings true.

Enjoy!

There being few absolutes whites or absolute blacks in life, every facet of living becomes tinged with the hue of another.

Thus every positive contains within itself a negative, every negative a positive. Every optimism harbors a pessimism, in every pessimism lies a spark of optimism, bursting to come forth.

It is simply a matter of choosing where to put the emphasis. An attitude.

You can live on the edge of panic, the sky is always falling or in a cocoon of complacency whereby all is right with the world. Let me go on sleeping, snug-as-a-bug.

The keyword is balance. To be aware — without letting your feet be halted by fear — that around any corner change might come. It is necessary to view the cold of reality through the eyes of hope, and not to be filled with self-gratification, believing you’ve reached your zenith and learned what needs to be known. It’s important not to shut your eyes and ears, and let your mouth spew out perceived pearls of wisdom.

And above all, don’t try to show your superiority by pointing out another’s inferiority because in every superiority lies… oh dear, talk about attitude!

Years ago, when vaudeville was hanging by its fingertips, a relative tried to break into show business. A theatrical agent, after insisting there were no openings, told her, “You’ve got the voice, the figure, the face, the delivery. Now go out and shoot a man. And I’ll get you a booking tomorrow.”

It’s equally true today. One sensational newspaper headline is worth a year of knocking on doors.

Our talents are our own. Others can help develop them or offer the opportunity, but it’s up to us alone to bring them to the surface, and with them.

There is nothing as useless as a talent unused.