By Megan McCabe, sophomore

Browsing through racks stacked with bright purple and orange and pink, zig-zagged, polka-dotted and striped ties, Sean Connery’s voice rings in my head: “Now, this one is a lovely shade of purple. Yes, yes. K-State purple. What do you think?”

My thoughts: “Well, I’m not a huge K-State fan.” I quickly add as his face drops, “but it is indeed a lovely shade of purple! It would go well with your silver vest and black suit.”

Back to a grinning Connery: “You see, I do love it, but I also enjoy this one,” as he pulls down a red, silver and black striped tie. “I can only buy so many ties, though I’d like to take them all.”

Holding up those two, and keeping in mind a couple of cool-colored peacock resembling patterns, he orders, “Help, I brought you to help!”

My least helpful advice ever: “I like the blue and green ones, but you’ll be the one wearing them. Which will you wear the most?”

Deliberating takes him a few circles around the racks, and then, “All right. I like the K-State, but it’s a bit too bold for my current needs, so I believe I’ll go with the red stripe and the orange stripe. Now let’s go before I change my mind.”

Okay. I have a confession or two to make. That may not have been exactly what was said, and it wasn’t really Sean Connery, just a good friend of mine with a talent for accents. But it was one of the best JC Penney trips I can remember. If we all woke up to a memory like this, imagine how much better our days would be.

Instead, we wake up to stories like this:

• The Wichita Eagle, Feb. 6, 2010, top headline: “Body found in river, could be missing 8-month-old.”

• KWCH recent local news story: “Body found in ditch in southern Kansas.”

• KSN features a report on a man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and, consequently, his unborn child.

• “County settles rape lawsuit” against a Riddel Boys Ranch employee appeared on the Eagle’s site Nov. 17, 2009.

It’s no wonder Americans spend so much on antidepressants. No one wants to be bombarded by murderers and rapists as they slurp their morning lattes.

Yet thousands of adults continue to switch on their radios and televisions and let yesterday’s tragic truths leak in and sink their hope in humanity. Don’t stop bailing yet, though.

Yes, we are surrounded by tragic tales of despicable plots. But that’s only part of the story. The rest of the story is that we can shut off the radio and decide to counter all that crud with a smile and a look around. Yes. I’m saying what you think I’m saying:

Stop and smell the roses. It’s one of the oldest sayings around, but really how many of us ever do it? Very few.

I’m not ordering everyone out there to strap on hiking boots, pick up a walking stick and hit the mountainside in search of greener pastures. I think of my high-heel clad mother and realize the great outdoors are not meant for everyone. Just take some time and think about the good things you see—you don’t even have to stop what you’re doing. Just stop thinking for a minute and look around.

See that young Dillon’s worker rush over to help an older woman load groceries into her car? What about the little girl who passed by the other day and told her mom—in her shout-to-Mars voice that only children possess—how pretty you are? Or your girl friends who took you to dinner at your favorite restaurant for your birthday? Or your buddies who rescued you from a night of ballet with your girlfriend? Or who dance crazy and terribly with you so you don’t feel like the only one who is movement challenged? People are recalling great memories of you, too.

Aren’t they?

Those laugh-til-pop-flew-out-your-nose nights, and the days that you felt you were worth someone’s time and effort, are what make life worthwhile. Be the cause of those memories.

I still remember Connery’s biggest dilemma of the day: “Now on to shirts. Help me find some shirts. Dressy, but without the collar. And no stripes — I don’t much like the stripes.”