There is so much fear rattling around, sometimes understandably so- some truly scary things are happening around our world. But you know what? Every generation has had truly scary things happen, and yet they persevered. How? By holding on to hope and realizing the good always outshines the bad…you just have to look for it (and help to make it happen).
A friend of mine posted something wonderful on her Facebook page yesterday, something that really touched my heart. She pointed out the day-to-day magic she had encountered, just by being open to see it:
“We live in an amazing world where beautiful things happen every day if you look for them. Just today, I saw a Facebook post from a friend of mine sharing that her 8 year old son reached out to a physically challenged boy to make his day better; a dear friend from high school is involved as an Ohio delegate at the DNC, and her accounts of the atmosphere there are of excitement, inclusion and acceptance. A former student of mine had a beautiful baby, and the Facebook photo takes my breath away. My own 6 year old son set up a free water and popsicle stand and served the construction workers across the street, who smiled and thanked him and gave him fist bumps, making him feel great. If we look for the little things to appreciate in our experiences, I believe happiness abounds.”
I read her words and thought about how amazing our world would be if more of us chose to focus on those small kindnesses that happen every day, on the miracle of life and nature, and on doing what we can to show kindness and compassion to others. Can you imagine what would happen if we shared more of those stories, that news of the day, instead of always fueling the fire of fear and negativity?
I am making a determined effort today to follow my friend’s lead. I will share stories and images of the little things that touched my heart and the beauty I see in people, in animals, and in nature. I’m betting that I will feel hopeful and uplifted at the end of the day, and if even one other person feels the same from reading or hearing my words, then I have made a difference. Thank you, Sue, for inspiring me to look for it- to look for life, and love, and hope, to refuse to fall for the all too convenient gloom and doom scenario.
A former music education professor often told us to make a change in our behavior that we had to “act our way into a new way of thinking.” If you want to be happy, do the things happy people do. He was a wise man, and today is the day. As the saying goes, “if not now, when?”
Wishing you a day filled with everyday magic, with kind deeds, with hope for our amazing world, and always, love and beauty to light your way.
The View from Here 