That's the Good Stuff

That’s The Good Stuff

John Paul Derryberry

Years ago, my wife and a friend stormed into the house cackling at what had just transpired at the checkout line of Target. A lady behind them in line noticed they were buying a particular item, and in the cutest old grandma voice said, "Well, that's the good stuff." That moment provided a new saying, with long-lasting staying power, into our vernacular. That's the good stuff gets said at least once a week in our house all these years later.

The saying comes to mind this week as COVID-19 comes back into our lives; I see more and more anger online. Maybe it's naive to think that one day anger won't lead the news, our social media platforms, and run our lives. But that won't stop me from trying. The pivot from an angry kid to an angrier young man to a happy adult started with turning away from anger and toward the good stuff that the old lady was talking about. It saddens me to see anger ruining so many lives. Anger is such a buzz saw of emotion. It makes everything black and white, turns every interaction into a win or lose, and comes from such a place of doubt that no one using it is on solid ground.

Yet, here we sit, mad that we don't have more control and angry we don't have all we think we deserve. We stomp around wishing life was more straightforward, snap at people we love, or worse, dismiss them as if they don't matter. This is what happens when anger ruins our view of the world. We no longer are focusing on the good stuff. The moment of laughter from a toddler as they play in the water. The warm feeling that washes over you as you kick it with lifelong friends. The good stuff in life carries with it something we can't quite put our fingers on, but it leads away from anger time and time again.

Focusing on the good stuff doesn't mean the stuff that makes us angry doesn't occur. It acknowledges that anger has its place, but it does not control my complete view of the world. We've all been around those folks just looking for a reason to be angry; they are exhausting to be around. Yet those who focus on the good stuff every time we part from interacting with them say, I could have hung out with that person for so much longer. It's easy to understand why they are looking for reasons to celebrate life. They want excuses to be happy, and they are always searching for the good stuff. And that good stuff makes all the difference in the world. Well, the mindset about the good stuff does!