Slowly,

slowly...

step by 

cautious step...

We are coming out of our homes.

We are seeing each other in the streets.

We are coming back together!

And as we
move forward,
we are also
falling back 
into our old, 
familiar habits...

"Why AREN'T you wearing a mask?"

"Why ARE you wearing a mask?"

"Why don't you care about public health?"

"Why don't you care about civil liberties?"

"Why don't you listen to SCIENCE?"

"Why don't you listen to REASON?"

Here's a question for us all...

Can we
STOP JUDGING
and 
START CARING
for each other?

It is certain
that we will not all
agree
 about how to
interact
in our new
COVID-conscious
world.

We're all wondering...
​
When
and
where
is it
appropriate
or
necessary
to wear masks?

How close
is
TOO CLOSE...

At the store?
At the beach?
At restaurants?
On the sidewalk?
On the hiking trail?

When can we get back to
normal life?

We're all thinking
about these questions...
and we're all coming
to
different
conclusions.

What works for
one state 
or
one city
or
one neighborhood
or
one household, 
might not work
for another.

We're creating a
new
"normal"
and we have
to do this
together.

We have an
opportunity
to create these
new norms
with
grace
and
empathy
and
compassion.

We can do this!

We can care
SELFLESSLY
for one another.

Let's give each other
a break
and
give each other
encouragement
and try to
keep each other
​safe 
while we
create our 
"new normal"
TOGETHER. 

This month,
the world
hit the
"PAUSE" 
button on
everything.

Before we press
"PLAY"
once more,
let's take this
moment
to appreciate
what we've learned.

We can work together.
We can make sacrifices.
We can help those in need.
We can ​lift each other up.
We can consider the common good.
We can find common ground.

This week,
Broadway legends
​celebrated the
90th birthday of
composer, lyricist, and 
​national treasure,
Stephen Sondheim.
During the celebration,
Brian Stokes Mitchell
sang a Sondheim
piece called
"Flag Song".
It ends like this...

COVID-19
is everywhere...

on the internet,
on magazine covers,
on television,
on cruise ships,
on talk radio,
on airplanes,
and...
on every continent
except 
Antarctica.

It's a fierce
reminder
that our world
is
truly
connected
and that
empathy
for one another
is more important
than ever.

It's remarkable
how communities
around the world 
have joined together
to try and slow
the spread of COVID-19.
We know that we
MUST 
work together.

This virus
also reminds us
why we use 
the expression 
GOING VIRAL.

COVID-19 is on the 
MOVE
and it doesn't care 
if you're 
rich or poor,
urban or rural,
conservative or liberal.

What if we
could share 
empathy
as quickly?

In these uncertain times,
let's support each another and
try to make empathy go viral.

Be well.
Be kind.
Listen.
Share.
Care.
Wash your hands.
Stay balanced.
Stay healthy.
Stay positive.

Let's work together
to make
EMPATHY GO VIRAL.

Does your heart
leap
when you see a
rainbow?

YES!

Does your heart
leap
when you see a
sunrise?

ALWAYS!

Does your heart 
leap 
when you see a 
baby?

OF COURSE!

Does your heart
leap
when you see
someone with a
different
political viewpoint? 

WHAT?!?!?!

Our stomachs
might lurch,
our brows
might furrow,
but our hearts
probably
aren't leaping.

Why not?

Let's change that!

This Leap Year,
let's try to find the
joy and wonder
in discussion.

Let's try to approach
one another
with the
awe and reverence
we usually
reserve for rainbows.

Let's challenge
ourselves
to find delight
in finding
common ground.

We have an
extra day
this year to
​make it happen...

Let's LEAP forward together!

Happy Leap Day!
​

In honor of Presidents' Day,
here is a bit of
presidential wisdom
from the past
to inspire us
to find
common ground
in the future...

"Too often...we enjoy the comfort of opinion
without the discomfort of thought."
-John F. Kennedy

"In religious and in secular affairs,
​the more fervent beliefs attract followers.
If you are a moderate in any respect -
if you're a moderate on abortion,
if you're a moderate on gun control,
or if you're a moderate in your religious faith -
it doesn't evolve into a crusade
where you're either
right or wrong,
good or bad,
with us or against us." 
-Jimmy Carter

"The middle of the road
is all of the usable surface.
The extremes,
right and left,
are in the gutters."
-Dwight D. Eisenhower

“All of us share this world
for but a brief moment in time.
The question is whether we spend that time
focused on what pushes us apart,
or whether we commit ourselves to an effort
— a sustained effort --
to find common ground,
to focus on the future we seek for our children,
​and to respect the dignity of all human beings.”
-Barack Obama

"In crucial things, unity. 
In important things, diversity. 
In all things, generosity."
-George H. W. Bush

Happy Valentine's Day!

Is that
LOVE
in the air?

Or contempt?

Last week,
the featured speaker
at the National Prayer Breakfast
was Arthur Brooks,
a prominent conservative thinker
and author of
Love Your Enemies:
How Decent People Can
Save America from a Culture of Contempt.

He challenged the audience 
to become
"missionaries for
love
in the face of
contempt".

You can read his
prepared remarks for the speech
in the Washington Post .

These days,
we don't have to search far
to find contempt.

It's on display
in every
news channel
and
coffee shop
and
comment section
in America.

The question is,
when we find it,
how will we
​answer it?

Can we answer with patience?

Can we answer with kindness?

Can we answer with LOVE?

Let's do our best.
​

"I solemnly swear
(or affirm, as the case may be,)
that in all things appertaining to
the trial of the impeachment of Donald J. Trump,
now pending, I will do
impartial justice
according to the Constitution and laws:
so help me God."

This was the oath taken by all Senators
 before the impeachment trial began.

But the oath begs the question...

Is
impartial justice
even
possible
in these
​divided times?

It's likely that
the votes will be
split along party lines
in the Senate... 
just as they were
in the House.

Justice
is meant to be
blind,
but we keep
wearing those
red and blue
tinted glasses
as a nation.

Where does that
leave the truth?

What does
impartial justice
look like?

Stay tuned...

Whatever the outcome
of the impeachment trial,
we're going to need a lot of
purple thinking
to move beyond it
together,
as
one nation.
​

It's 2020!

Happy New Year!

Can we move
into the
New Year
with
20/20
vision?

What would that
kind of
clarity
look like?

Can we approach each other with...

An open mind?

An open heart?

2020
will certainly bring
an invitation
to
division 
and 
discord.

How will we respond?

Will we jump in blindly?

Or will we
try to see
clearly
and 
and consider the
facts.

We all look
at the world
through our 
our own
unique
shade of
blue
or
red
tinted 
glasses.

Can we
trade
them for
purple
glasses
instead?

Let's make a promise
to one another to
try
to look
at the world
together.

Let's
move
into
2020
with
20/20
vision!

Wishing you a joyous holiday season!

Join our purple holiday sing-along...

Deck the Halls with Points of Purple,

Fa La La La La,
La La La La!

Find a view that's universal!

Fa La La La La,
​La La La La!

Don we now our listening ears,

Fa La La La La,
​La La La La!

Help the discord disappear!

Fa La La La La,
​La La La La!

Happy Holidays!

-The Purple Living Room Project

It's that festive time of year...

Little ones across the country
are drafting letters to St. Nick and 
sending them off to the North Pole.

What's on YOUR wish list?

If you could ask
Santa for a
Purple Present,
what would be at the
top of your list? 

Healthcare?

Education?

Gun reform?

Immigration?

The Environment?

Jobs?

Campaign Finance Reform?

What matters most to YOU?

We can't wait around for Santa,
but we can send our wish list 
to the Senate.

One of the goals of the
 Purple Living Room Project
is to find common ground
and share our
Purple Points
with our representatives. 

Let's give each other
the gift of
political
civility
and
cooperation
this Christmas season.

Let's show our
elected officials what
meaningful 
conversation
and
compromise
can look like.

Perhaps then
we can find
a path toward
meaningful change
together
​in 2020.