My angel has quit her job as a Wal-Mart Greeter and has signed up as with Tech Support  for Apple. “Well, at least I get to help people,” she said. “And I can work from home, too. And I’ll get to talk to you several times a week.” These days, she said, it’s a kind of ministry.

What are you up to?, she asked. Waiting to sell the farm, I said, you know, another book tour coming up.

I’m thinking about the soul-suckers, I said. You know, the angry people, the people on the left. Or the right. The people on cable news. The people who run for political office. The people who warn you about things. And hate you for disagreeing.

Who tell you why you ought not dare to do what you want to do.

Who tell you how much money you need to live in this word. Who tell you that you need tests and pills to be healthy. The people who tell you their struggle stories, but don’t want to hear yours. The people who save up the sad stories of the world to share them with you. The people who are angry, resentful. Who write nasty e-mails and hide behind their computers. Who would control people, tell them what to do, how to live.

They are soul-suckers, and I think, I said, my answer to is to be a soul-feeder. To be encouraging. To pay attention to the good stories of the world as well as the bad. To make your own decisions. To see anger, like fear, as a disease, not a reality. To see your life as an opportunity each day, not a struggle.

I’m learning all the time, I said. You can starve the soul, suck the life out of it. You can feed it, watch it grow, watch it shine.

Great, said the angel, I like it, sort of what we used to do before all of the layoffs and budget cuts and outsourcing we had to go through up there. You know, the global spirituality. Somehow, losing your job and the work you love is more efficient that being secure and happy. You know, the experts. But I don’t want to be telling struggle stories, she said. I like where you’re going. I’ll see how this works out. Maybe when things improve, I’ll so some soul-feeding again.

Meanwhile, if you need help with your photo program, call me. I’m here for you.