Bring Back Thumper's Rule

Ever since I was a little girl and saw Bambi for the first time, I've loved Thumper's rule. I'm sure you know it, and can almost hear that cute little voice saying: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

Thumper's rule is oft quoted in my family, and something I think if I could really master in my life, I would be in good shape. And let me tell you, lately I've found myself wishing we could all live this rule a little more.

It seems like every day I hear or see something about how mean words are being thrown around like footballs. Kids being bullied at school. Politicians being called every name in the book.

Enter the internet, and things get even crazier. Public figures are having multiple surgeries to "fix" the "problems" they're read online they have. People are finding photos of themselves on websites with horrible captions and comments. Even comments on some of my favorite blogs and sites, like Goodreads, can get downright mean.

So, I've decided I'm going to do something over the next two weeks. I am going to try to live Thumper's rule a little better, and I'm going to keep a daily log about it. In my next post, I'll report on the results.

Here's to saying something nice or nothing at all. Here's to you, Thumper.