Please Post Something Happy and Positive

Marylin and Carolyn Maedel‎ write…

Mike could you please post something happy and positive on your FB page? We are so tired of hearing about the Election and the Debates! You have so many stories you could tell and you have such a great sense of humor! Have a nice day! Marilyn and Carolyn, The Dirty Jobs Twins.

Hello Ladies

Here’s a picture of me holding a rabbit.

As images go, this one strikes me as both happy and positive, with an undeniable subtext of implied optimism. I hope it’s what you had in mind. Alas, there is no uplifting story attached. In fact, I have no memory of this photo being taken, and no recollection of the rabbit posing with me. Zero. I don’t even recognize the shirt I’m wearing.

If I had to guess, I’d say it was taken sometime in 2001, while I was hosting Evening Magazine for CBS. Back then, I wore better clothes and smiled a lot more. Not because I was happier, but because I was impersonating a professional TV Host. As you may know, professional TV Hosts are encouraged to smile at all times, regardless of what they’re holding.

To be clear, Twins, I’m not saying it’s inconsistent to smile at the camera while wearing a nice shirt and cradling a bunny rabbit. Not at all. But let’s be honest – it’s not like I’m holding a panda, or a penguin, or platypus, or something endangered or bursting with inherent interest. Those creatures would justify a genuine grin, way more than a random Leporidae, most likely from the Lagomorpha order, lying prostrate on its furry back for reasons known only to the mammal itself.

Regardless, I do hope this enigmatic image will evoke in you both a measure of sanguinity, and provide some brief respite from the relentless drumbeat of political demagoguery. The more I look at it, the more I’m convinced there’s reason for hope.

Unless of course, the rabbit is dead. In which case, never mind.

Carry on, Dirty Jobs Twins.
Carry on.

Mike

Mike’s Facebook Page