“But when people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to commit violence against that group. What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.” ~ Charlie Kirk

I don’t usually wade into politics here — or even anything close to politics. I generally try to avoid it like the plague in any sort of public forum, but here we are.

If you are celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk, you are wrong. Full stop. It’s vile, it’s inhumane, and it says far more about you than it ever could about him.

Charlie Kirk was not a politician. He wasn’t sitting in office drafting bills, passing laws, or shaping policy. He was a commentator. If you didn’t agree with him, you had two simple, decent options: challenge his words at the podium or ignore him altogether. Disagreement never once justified violence — and it certainly doesn’t justify murder.

And yet, I’ve heard people try. Every attempt at “justification” I’ve seen is nothing more than polished-up victim-blaming. It reeks of the same tired excuse we’ve all heard too many times: “Well, why was she walking alone at night?” That’s not a reason. That’s cowardice dressed up as explanation — things you would never dream of saying to his family in person.

Speaking of — let’s not lose sight of the real human cost here. His wife didn’t deserve to watch her husband die. His children didn’t deserve to lose their father. His parents didn’t deserve the agony of burying their son.

And those children — they will spend the rest of their lives carrying this trauma, not just in memory, but in the brutal permanence of the internet. At any moment, an algorithm could shove a video of their father’s murder in front of them. Imagine living with that constant shadow — logging into social media, never knowing if today will be the day you’re blindsided by the worst moment of your life replayed on a loop.

That isn’t politics. That’s cruelty. And anyone who applauds it is complicit in that cruelty.

Since the world feels like it’s run by a committee of cranky toddlers. Let’s talk about how you can still sneak a little sunshine into your day without moving to a tropical island (though, honestly, not the worst idea).

Open the blinds. Revolutionary, I know. But it turns out the sun is still up there doing its thing, even if your mood says otherwise. Natural light is free therapy — no co-pay required.

Play your happy playlist. Crank up that one song you can’t help but dance to (you know the one). Bonus points if you dance badly enough to make your pets question your sanity.

Snack like it’s summer. Watermelon, popsicles, lemonade — anything that tastes like a picnic. Pretend you’re at the beach instead of hunched over your laptop Googling “Why is life like this?”

Text your funniest friend. Nothing breaks through the gloom like a meme from the person who just gets your sense of humor. Sunshine in screenshot form.

Do something kind. Pay for the coffee of the person behind you, hold the door, or just tell someone their shirt is cool. Spreading light has a way of bouncing right back to you.

So when life feels like one long Monday, remember: sunshine isn’t only about the weather. Sometimes, it’s about choosing to laugh, eat popsicles, and dance in your kitchen like a fool. And honestly? That’s better than a forecast app any day.