May 14, 2026

I’ve been reading the news about mass shootings. I felt the need to write about the topic but decided to try a different kind of approach. Here it is:

Instead of a mass shooting

draw a picture of how you wish they had acted,
write a story about what happened,
then write it using emojis,
make googly-eyed dolls that look like them,
send them a rubber pizza,

go to a basketball hoop, see how many baskets you can make,
make up a dance that reminds you of them,
tell someone what they did to you,
look up anger management classes,
take your medicine, if it’s prescribed,

imagine all of you in a TV sit-com,
get something to eat,
take a deep breath,
hold it for a few seconds,
breathe out, slowly, then repeat,

picture you and them living on separate planets,
the Milky Way galaxy in between,
unpack your resentments like old baggage—
you don’t have to keep them,
let the anger, hatred, bitterness, pain
drain out of you,

do stretching exercises,
do jumping jacks,
call your doctor,
list reasons to stay cool,
take one moment to pray for them.