THE STILETTO GANG

Change

by Saralyn Richard

In my lifetime, I’ve witnessed a multitude of tragic, life-changing events:  hurricanes, assassinations, explosions, riots, terrorist activities, and deaths. And now a pandemic and outrageous acts of racism, both of which shake our value systems to their very roots.

The phrase, “May you live in interesting times,” often attributed to the Chinese, comes to mind. The first time I heard this platitude, it was meant to comfort me after a devastating loss. I researched its origin and learned that its meaning is misleading. Instead of consolation, the phrase is actually a curse, the extrapolation of which is: “It is better to live in uninteresting times.” In other words, times of peace and tranquility are uninteresting, while people are more fascinated by times of trouble.

The one aspect of life-changing experiences that offers hope for the future is the term “change.” Events bring opportunity, in real life and in fiction. This fact has led me to examine quotations about change, and I thought I’d share some that resonate with me.

1.     If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. -Maya Angelou

2.     I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. -Mother Teresa

3.  Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or       strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. -Robert Kennedy

4.      Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future. -Alice Walker

5.      No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world. -Robin Williams

                               

In my opinion, authors have an extra layer of opportunity, an extra layer of responsibility in troubled times. Our words, our ideas, our plots, our characters have the potential to reach numerous readers. We may bring light to readers in darkness, hope to readers in desperation. We indeed can change the world.

In conversations with my Muse these days, I ask for extra doses of inspiration, sensitivity, compassion, patience, persistence, and good-heartedness. In addition to good health and safety, I wish these same doses for you.

Saralyn Richard strives to make the world a better place, one book at a time. A member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, she has won several writing awards, including the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Readers' Choice 2019 award. Her children's book, Naughty Nana, and her Detective Parrott Mystery series, including Murder in the One Percent and A Palette for Love and Murder, have earned her a world of readers, both young and adult. Look for A Murder of Principal, which will be released in January, 2021. 

Visit Saralyn’s Amazon Author Page at https://www.amazon.com/Saralyn-Richard/e/B0787F6HD4/ref or her website at http://saralynrichard.com.