EDITORIAL: If this is horrible, we'll take it

Some people opt to hop off the political escalator.

They don’t register. They don’t vote.

That’s their right. Won’t win them any citizenship awards, but they can do it.

Others take it a step further. They tune out, unplugging as many information sources as possible. While the goal is to preserve whatever sanity they feel they still possess, the cost is high: ignorance.

Because you’re reading this, you probably aren’t in the first camp and you’re certainly not in the second. Like most of us, you probably struggle with the demands of keeping up on events while withstanding the buffeting political winds that are now reaching hurricane force.

But you keep on keepin’ on. Bless you for that. 

In North Idaho, there’s a not-so-secret formula for rising above the stress, the lies from all sides, the relentless attempts to manipulate and mold us into a caricature that fits someone else’s idea of the perfect robot.

That secret: Take a deep breath and look around.

Life is good, isn’t it?

Those who make a living telling you how miserable you should feel, they’re the ones who should be tuned out and turned off. They’re manipulators who live in luxury by feeding off your fear and anger.

Here’s a challenge: Slip on a jacket and take a good, brisk walk this morning. If you do so after 5:43 a.m., you’ll be welcoming the autumn equinox with open arms and a wide smile.

That’s Mother Nature’s spirit-lifting gift, injecting aesthetics into the most hardened of emotional arteries. But she’s not out of step with many aspects of the real world, either.

The economy is strong and poised to strengthen further. Years-long fear of a recession are at least for now allayed. 

Locally, you live in an amazing place. Sure, the traffic issues are a real pain in the trunk, but once you get where you’re going, the room for discontent shrinks. 

Do you realize how lucky you are to have so many good restaurants, shops and entertainment opportunities? How clean our communities are? How good our schools? How relatively safe and secure we are because of outstanding police, fire and health care professionals?

Official autumn has arrived. Its curtain raising should be greeted with a standing ovation.

And no matter how Nov. 5 goes, North Idahoans won’t be deprived of their precious piece of paradise.