Star-Spangled Bummer.

Lately, I’ve been getting into this routine of bypassing the snooze button to throw on a pair of sneaks (that's Yankee speak for "tennis shoes") so I can spend my mornings on our treadmill watching Good Morning America. It’s my attempt to be productive, yet still be lazy enough to ignore the gym. While yes, I’m bit more informed about the weather and major headlines, I’m beginning to question how healthy this show is for my mental health. After a long night’s rest, I typically wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed with my beloved cat purring on my chest, optimistic about a day of sunshine and already looking forward to the meals I’ll sink my pearly whites into.  My mornings are quiet, peaceful and relaxing.  I like it this way for now. The only thing that can make my morning better is complete chaos from a newborn baby crying for “Mommy” and the sound of cartoons in the background. Someday, oh someday.

I digress.

If Good Morning America is how we want to greet our country each morning, I say SLEEP IN AMERICA. Who wants to wake up to a new day just to be let down with tragedy and misfortune? Can it not wait until our afternoon snack so we can at least spend the first half of our day feeling encouraged by our surroundings? We get a glimpse into a family’s living nightmare being played out publicly and are expected to shift gears as soon as talking parrots and healthy enchiladas take over at 8AM. I’m sorry; but, I hear two children are killed in a house fire and I want to crawl into a dark hole until the sun sets; my sodium intake is the last thing on my mind. I may be more informed, but I walk into work feeling like I just chugged a gallon of warm milk.

I was shocked by the number of headlines this morning. So much, it obviously inspired me to write. These aren’t fictitious or even exaggerated across several airings. What it is…is sad and a reflection of the tragedy that occurs every day, that as outsiders we quickly forget the lingering sorrow that’s permanently tied to those 30 seconds of entertainment. I feel guilty for casually watching these segments and grabbing a cup of coffee afterwards. Here are a few:

Father blows up his house with two small children inside after a haunting voicemail

Mother of two-year-old who was also pregnant murdered by her Husband

Local animal shelter with infectious conditions

Eighteen premature babies die in a Syrian hospital after electricity cuts

TV anchor faces rape charges

Woman found dead; Husband believed to be guilty and also having an affair

Man adopts his girlfriend after killing a woman driving drunk

Seriously, GMA? Please tie me to a tree trunk and beat me with bamboo shoots tomorrow. 

I like Good Morning America. I do. I don’t like hearing that others’ are suffering. Perhaps the more awareness of domestic violence, mental illness and civil unrest that is brought to GMA will help minimize these tragedies in the future. I hope. Oh, I hope.