What I Believe In

What I Believe (Not an exhaustive list)

I believe in autumn with its cozy evenings and crisp mornings, its falling leaves and fading colors, its slow pace and its call to long forgotten memories.

I believe in movies and the movie theater with its dark anticipation and couples huddled around a box of popcorn sharing a large soda, its giant screen and high back seats, its opportunity for escape and the chance to be transformed in 90 minutes.

I believe in children with their shining eyes and raspy voices and endless giggles, their open arms and sparkling unblemished hearts, their enduring energy and their flawless uninterrupted sleep.

I believe in the Christmas of my childhood with its manger scene beneath the tree, its limited gifts, its shiny foil icicles, its wintry feel, its reverence for something no marketing scheme could ever match.

I believe in Roe vs. Wade, in Gay rights including the right to marry, in Equal Rights, in Civil Rights, in a woman’s right to choose without intimidation, in the right to be wrong, to express independence, to stand up to The Man, to choose a different path, to follow your heart whatever the consequences.

I believe in Democracy, in liberal politics, in Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, in Food Stamps for the deserving, in Planned Parenthood, in Climate Change and Gun Control and the pursuit of Peace.

I believe in Term Limits for office holders, in professionalism in Congress, in the work of bipartisan cooperation, in the old handshake and the worth of a solemn vow, in doing away with gerrymandering and dirty tricks.

I believe in the spiritual, in the soul, in the sacred, in something hallowed that can’t be confined within a church or a Bible or some preacher’s narrow theology.

I believe in hard work and fair pay, in pay equity for women in the workforce, in the Affordable Care Act.

I believe in defending the underdog, in confronting bullies, in rescuing the defenseless, in fiercely opposing injustice.

I believe in poetry and its romance with words, its making sentences dance, its lofty thoughts and dark moods, its digging beneath the surface to find the lost truth.

I believe in the long slow deep kiss, the kiss that levels mountains and shakes the stars from the sky, the kiss that causes angels to faint and demons to weep, the kiss that lingers hours after it has ended.

I believe in elegance, and perfume, in women who treat themselves to manicures and pedicures, who believe in their gifts, who use their minds, who are fearless in protecting their children, whose strength is shown in more ways than men can equal.

I believe in the baseball stadium with its green grass and clean diamond, its cheering crowds and corny music, its cold beer and small hotdogs, its centerfield fence and the homerun hitters.

I believe in laughter, in the chuckle and the snicker, in foot stomping laughter, in the jaw aching and tear producing laughter that leaves people sighing in the glow of their humanity.

I believe in dogs, in their unfailing loyalty, in their beauty, in the mischief they create and the companionship they offer and the comfort they bring.

I believe in thinking, in learning, in the new idea and the never realized insight, in the vast education of books, in the novel’s classroom, and the character building of the biography, and the power of a memoir’s story.

I believe in goodness.

I believe in compassion.

I believe in love.

© 2013 Timothy Moody