Geography is a funny thing. I’ve been a resident of seven states over the years and yet during most of that time, hardly any family and friends have adventured out to see me.

While living in Iowa in the mid-1990s, there were a few friends who came out one time for a poker weekend. That seemed to turn out pretty OK. And then there was the one New Year’s Eve that three friends came to see me in North Carolina. There was a chick I liked that they got to meet, and that too seemed to work out. Then came Nebraska. Ten long, fun years there in the Good Life, and yet, again it was only a few friends who came out a handful of times. Same for the five years in Atlanta.

But now that home is only 25 minutes from the ocean, we’ve had two family visits in 12 months. Funny how that works.

Last week was great having my brother and his wife and two kids out to see us. They got a chance to go to the aquarium, do a dolphin tour, hit the beach a couple times and ride out on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. That last one is a really odd thing to do (especially with a $13 toll, although it is a 13-mile-long bridge) that seems like will be a tradition for my family since my sister and her family did it last year too. Cool, whatever floats their boat.

As my brother was leaving Friday morning, we all said goodbye and just before I closed the door, I said “Love you guys.” Afterward, it kind of struck me as odd that it was almost an afterthought. Why did I almost not say it? I’m not wuss or afraid to let people know I have feelings and what those feelings are. They are family and I do love them, and I was really happy they came out. Same as last year with my sister, and I’m sure next year with the next family member.

unicorns shitting rainbowsI’ve never really looked at myself as an optimist but compared to all the pessimistic views around us every day, my outlook could be seen as all unicorns shitting rainbows and such. Anyway, it just got me to thinking about why we don’t always say what we’re thinking right when we think it.

Life’s too short to not say what we mean, especially to people who mean something to us. It doesn’t even have to be family. We ought to be telling people more about why we respect them or admire a certain quality or what we enjoy about their company. Hell, even just saying you like the stupid GIFs they’re always posting on Twitter may make their day. There is so much negativity in the world that it’s getting stale, and a little bit of positivity would be nice every now and then.

So, I’m going to start my own personal campaign to brighten the lives around me. Because, you know, that’s exactly what you’d expect me to do, right? Ha.

It probably won’t make a big dent in the dark, bitter nonsense of election madness, street violence or other things that are ailing in this world. But, hopefully it will make a mark for my family and friends. And really, I’m just a selfish bastard looking to satisfy me, so in the end it’s all about brightening my day.

Here’s what I’ll do: For 30 days starting Monday, I’m going to send a note to one person telling them something positive about what they brought to my life.

It could be that I like that they can sing, or they have great handwriting, or maybe something that I should have said congratulations for a long time ago but was too stubborn to back then. Hell, it could just be saying “I love you” to those around me who should already know it but deserve to hear it more often. Either way, hopefully it’ll make them happy too.

And in case there are any sick bastards out there reading this (Dwin, Adam, Philly, and most of the CCMP crew): no I do not have any terminal disease or sickness. There’s no ulterior motive to do it now versus any other time. It just struck me this week that it’s something we should all be doing anyway every day and I don’t do it as much as I should.

There’s no telling how much time we have on this Earth, so enjoy it, embrace it, and don’t regret anything. In other words, keep shitting rainbows and we’ll all be just fine.