And yet, it happened. Thanks to courage and grit, smarts and drive, this story happened, even if most of us didn't realize it until just now. And that, I think, is the point I'm taking home today. Good does not need the spotlight to legitimize it, although it will blossom when the light finds it.
Three days before a thin-skinned, self-obsessed, pre-Copernican man becomes our president, I have been tempted to turn off the lights and pretend nobody's home. Tempted to wear my hackles high and pick fights with strangers. To assume that good will no longer be part of the day's menu. But "Hidden Figures" reminded me that most things happen behind the stage, away from the bright lights, and that many of those things beckon from very good people doing very good things, often very quietly.
And so, I will hold onto all of the folks who, without even meaning to, have reminded me that there is an abundance of good in this world. Folks who checked in on me this fall, those who've fed hungry students, tended to tall-grass prairies, stood on the Capitol's steps, fostered tough kids, helped register people to vote, showed others the wonders of thin places, made people laugh and dance and sing, those who've sat with the dying, given their money to causes they believe in. . . All of these people I know who act quietly and do good in the shadows are part of an abundant tribe, a vibrant throng. And they will still be doing all these things, come Friday and beyond. Which is why they give me strength and joy and hope, these hidden figures.
And in 50 years, when some stranger discovers one of these small, good stories and shines a light on it? I am confident that its goodness will sparkle, lifting and sustaining that stranger, just as it lifted and sustained us through these odd days we find ourselves in.
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