There’s a lot going on in the world these days. The news media, social media and our friends, family and colleagues can’t stop talking about tragedy. We feel worn down, lost. We may even feel like the world is getting worse. (Statistically, violent crime in the United States has dropped significantly since I was a kid in the 90s.)
We’re quick to anger, to fear, to worry about the state of things. But anger, worry and fear do not fix the things that plague us, and they don’t make them go away.
In the midst of all this, it helps to remember just how much GOOD there is also in the world. How much beauty there is out there. Here’s a list of the things I can see in my day to day life and smile:
The surplus of rabbits I’ve been seeing in my area lately
The thousands of varieties of flowers, trees and plants that bloom in beautiful rainbows along the path I walk Bingley every day
A woman I know who had just been diagnosed with stage 2 cervical and ovarian cancer came into my work to give US gifts
The beauty of the sunset
The heat of the sun being tempered by cool breezes
Friends who tag me in videos of cute baby clothes or otters, because they know me and they want to make me smile
And the Universe, who reminds me every day that things can be better:
Avoiding something, Andrea, draws it ever near.
Defending yourself can become a full time job.
And worrying about things that might never happen increases their chances of happening.
Yet still, you are 10,000 times more likely to laugh than cry, be healthy than sick, live rich than poor, have friends than be alone.
That’s the kind of momentum you’ve garnered through countless lifetimes of love. That’s the kind of power you long ago learned to master. And, quite frankly, those were the odds you negotiated.
You’re just another part of me,
The Universe
Your whole life is proof, Andrea.
The Universe is wise.
In times like these, it helps to unplug, go outside, and look around at all the beauty in the world.
A Measured Life 
Sloths have the sweetest little faces, full of innocence. I agree, there is much good in the world. We need to focus on THAT, encourage kindness, respect, temperance, and love.
LikeLiked by 1 person
100% agree!
LikeLike
Yes, indeed! We need to remember that many things are better in fact. I have been trying to use up what’s left over from a several-years-old delivery of garden compost. But I just realized that when finally I do use it all, I will miss the constant wildlife it attracts that I view each day from my kitchen window at the sink. Two fat, but very shy groundhogs – they retreat over the short wall to the woods behind at even the slightest sign of me . . . Doves and robins peacefully pecking for seeds aside one another . . . . the deer I see at night when I stop to
get a last drink of water before bed . . . . and one old box turtle who comes to munch on the greenery that
grows on the pile. We have both heaven and hell all around us. The newscasts will apprise us of the hell.
We must remember to see and appreciate all the heavenly things that surround us everyday.
LikeLike
There is duality to all things in this world and we need a balance of both to achieve any sort of happiness. We’re being told that the bowl is tipped too far in one direction and that we’re in danger, but that’s because fear gets ratings. Negativity, fear and hate are loud, goodness, love and beauty are quiet, but plentiful.
LikeLike
Just watched The Salt Of The Earth. A documentary on the life of photographer Sebastiao Salgado.
He covered so many heart wrenching stories that made his soul sick.
He found redemption in restoring the rain forest he loved in Brazil. It worked. In less than 15 years and a million trees planted, even the jaguars have come back.
Making things better and seeing beauty restored is amazing.
LikeLike
I believe each of us has the power to improve the world in our own way, even if it’s a tiny way. Thank you for mentioning the documentary, I’ll check it out!
LikeLike