“Reach for Better”

There is a quote from that Michelle Obama podcast that I can’t get out of my head. I wrote about the former first lady’s conversation with Michele Norris a few days ago.

It was when Mrs. Obama talked about suffering from what she referred to as “low grade depression” in the midst of the pandemic, race relations and divisive politics these days. “Protests and Pandemic” was the headline from her Spotify podcast.

It was, however, something that Michele Norris said that has stuck with me.

The noted journalist said, “Don’t reach for normal, reach for better.”

Here’s the entire exchange between Michele Norris and Michelle Obama.

Michele Norris: We are all going through a significant period of evolution, and it means, that there’s an opportunity in that, it feels burdensome right now, because so much has been taken from us. But there’s such an incredible opportunity, to decide how you want to show up in the new world. Because it will be a new world. And my greatest hope is that we don’t reach for normal, that we reach for better.

Michelle Obama: Oooh. [snaps] Snaps. Love that.

Norris: Yeah. Don’t reach for normal, reach for better.

Obama: Don’t reach for normal, reach for better.

Reach for better.

Don’t you love that?

We are at that point now, I think. We’re down. We’re beat up. We don’t know what’s going to happen next. We don’t even know where to turn.

So, we reach. Whatever we pray to, we pray to it. Maybe now, we pray for something better.

I am still convinced that there is something better on the other side of all of this. On the other side of 2020. Maybe we haven’t reached the bottom yet, but we will.

I saw friends over the weekend. Friends Enrique and I haven’t seen in awhile. Nikki, Chad, Frankie, Tommy, and Karen. As close to family as I have these days.

And when I saw them, I lost it. I cried. I was just so happy to see my friends. I will never take them for granted again. I will never assume they will always be there.

I’m reaching for better now. I know it’s coming.

Reaching for better. I love that. I really do. Reach for better because there’s a new world coming…