If you saw any of the political candidates on TV this weekend, they looked tired, worn out, beat down. Yet they press on because the have to. They can’t stop now. They’ve put too much into it and have too much to lose if they don’t see it through to the end.

A lot of us ordinary people are tired too.  Tired of watching it, tired of hearing about it, tired of fighting, tired of defending, tired of even thinking about it...

All this weekend, no matter where I went, no matter who I talked to, inevitably the conversation would turn to my thoughts and feelings about Obama, Hillary or Tavis.   Can Obama win? Can Hillary win? Why won’t Tavis criticize the Clintons?  That’s what I’m hearing in the airport, at the grocery store, at the bank, wherever!

It’s just May.  The election is six months away.  If we’re feeling tired now, what will it be like three or four months from now?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all take a break?  For two weeks, no talk about the election, the candidates or the issues—not that we’re spending much time talking about the issues anyway.    But what if, after this Tuesday’s primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, we all concentrated on things we used to concentrate on before the race to the White House began.  Some deep things like the Ninth Ward in New Orleans and how the rebuilding process is going. And some not so deep things, like did Keyshia Cole ever find out who her real daddy is?

I’m all about educating and empowering our audience but I’m also about having fun.  Sure Obama and Clinton are on our minds but what about Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon?   Some are saying the wedding was a publicity stunt to promote buzz about her new video directed by, of course Nick Cannon.   Is it true? I don’t know, but no one has asked me about it.

And what about Gary Coleman’s appearance on Divorce Court?   Just a few months ago, Gary Coleman married a white woman and already they’re calling it quits.  Normally, our audience would be all over that.  And where’s the buzz about the break up between Star Jones and Al Reynolds, the rumored pregnancy of Beyonce, the upcoming marriage of Sybil and J. Anthony Brown…I’m just kidding about that one.  I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.  My point is, we normally tell you not to get distracted and to stay focused on this crucial election, and you still should, but there’s nothing wrong with giving the deep issues a rest and giving your blood pressure a chance to get back to normal.

I’m pretty good at separating my work life from my fun life.  On the weekends, I almost always find the time to shut it down and concentrate on enjoying myself.  But I think I’m in the minority.  Some of you can’t get away from this election and it’s having an impact on your work life, your home life, your church life, and you need to shut it down. 

Would it hurt you just to shake your head, no, the next time someone asks your opinion about the presidential race? Would it kill you to ignore CNN, MSNBC, Fox, the morning TV shows…everybody but the TJMS, for a few days.  You won’t miss anything and you might even add some years to your life.  If we don’t take a break, I’m afraid we’ll all be burned out or fired from our jobs by the time November gets here.  Hillary and Obama are tired, but they can’t stop going.  We need to get away from it for a moment so that we can be fresh and hit the ground running when it counts—in November.