By Jacob Hatcher 

Community Columnist 

It’s no secret that the last couple of years have been heavy. It seems like every week a new piece of the sky falls to the ground. From racial turmoil to global pandemics and everything in between, it just seems like the hits keep on coming. It would be very easy to get lost in it all; if you let it, inflation and Supreme Court leaks can consume you. There once was a time when I found myself getting swept away in the undertow of current events, but then I discovered a secret.  

It’s not that profound, or even complicated, for that matter. Here it is: when the world outside gets really loud, I just make sure the bluegrass is louder. When the images on the screen are horrific, I pull out pictures of my beautiful wife and wonderful children and look at them. I don’t pretend like the bad things aren’t happening, or even try to ignore them; I just choose to make sure the good, simple things feature more prominently.  

The truth is, all the racket makes my head hurt. Do you know what doesn’t make my head hurt? A hat that fits just right. There are few things in this world better than a perfectly fitting hat. The constant droning turns my stomach. A good slice of cornbread and some pulled pork? Not so much.  

Sometimes I’m sitting in a room full of conflict and the air is just too thick, but the air on a gravel road with the windows down is just about right.  

I like to think that one day things will calm down and we won’t constantly be at each other’s throats. I feel pretty confident that won’t happen, but we can hope. In the meantime, Daddy Pig is in a puddle jumping contest and a little girl wants to know if he’s going to win before I tuck her into bed.