Media Circus

I stood in line at the grocery store today buying milk and coffee creamer. It seems the occupants in my household never bother to tell me we are out of things until I need them. Missing containers in the fridge are usually my first clues. Don't bother to ask anyone, no one will come clean and admit to anything.

At least I have broken them of the habit of leaving only enough of any liquid or dry substances in our home for a last meal for a mouse or perhaps Moo. You know what I am talking about. When your pour out milk and there is only enough to cover the bottom of the cup you just poured it in. Now you have the dilemma of not enough milk to wet your whistle but now you have a dirty cup to boot.

While looking around til it was my turn to pay, you can't help but look at all the magazines filling every inch of space that is eye level to you. Unless you are in the candy and gum aisle. I wasn't. So you do what I do.

You read the covers without picking them up. It broke my heart much like the news does lately because all you read about on these magazines is bad news about people or worse yet, photos showing these people looking their absolute worse.

I am sure all the money each of these people receives is plenty to warrant taking a picture of them leaving the gym, sweating, over sized clothes and no makeup. Don't even talk about the hair. I mean, it's part of the lifestyle that goes along with that big old paycheck they receive.

But very rarely do you read anything positive about anyone except secret weddings or so and so is dating so and so, don't they make a cute couple or so and so is adopting yet another child from a third world country to add to their ever expanding family.

I find it irritating at times because people just can't seem to catch a break. Cameras are becoming more high tech and unless you are locked away in the privacy of your home, you, your family and your friends are all fair game. Anything is news worthy and the worse it is, the more it pays to sell it.

After reading covers revealing a recent reality show couple going through a divorce you look at the pictures of a family being torn apart. Why the break? What couldn't pull them through this? Is the media to blame? Is the cost of fame far too great a price no one would be willing to pay?

Next to the headline were the bullets, you'd better get a good lawyer, how they told the kids, and why she fears being alone. It broke my heart. I can relate to this. Nothing good will come of it, but time will make things better. For now, the circus continues. Next to that story, news on who another famous friends celebrity has been seen with now. Wedding plans in the very near future? Buy this magazine and not find out.

Do you really find out anything or is it just a mad selling point to draw you to buy the magazine?

TV isn't any better, the more gruesome, bloody, tragic and heartbreaking, it will make you stop what you are doing at 11pm and tune in. All these media stuff in circulation surrounding the death of a music star and what really killed him. I mean people just crawl out from the wall with accusations and finger pointing. In the end, I am sure you will find, in my opinion, what they will rule as accidental overdose of prescription painkillers and other drugs. Another celebrity at the breaking point of not being able to take it any longer. Peace has alluded them for so long they find it any way they can.

Does it really matter? Why are people so drawn to the fire the media puts out there, like a moth to a flame? I believe it's because it takes the focus at least temporary off our own problems. We can look at things in a worse case scenario setting and realize our lives aren't quite that complicated or better than that. Perhaps that helps restore some hope or faith in our own lives or perhaps we are just drawn to it for reasons that remain unknown.

For now, our TV remains off, and we pick up our lives where we left off yesterday and try to make the most of what we have today. We don't know if there will be a tomorrow but at least we have today. A brand new 24 hours full of the possibilities of what could be.