A delightful reminder to keep hope and enjoy the pleasant moments amongst a world full of troubling news, rotten politics, and alarmingly angry people.
There has been a lot of ugliness in the world lately. Things that have made me sad, shocked, and angry. Things I feel have hurt the world deeply and that test my (and other people’s) faith in humanity.
This ugliness is loud, and the world’s reaction to it is loud. And our reaction should, absolutely, be loud, until we shout down the racism, the bigotry, the hatred into the abyss where it should have been long ago, if not all along. However, I think it is important to remember that this world is not all viciousness, to remember why we keep the flame of hope alive in the face of everything terrible.
So when things look bleak, when I read the news and feel the tendrils of despair try to creep in, here are some things I remind myself.
This bundle of joy happens to be me, pictured with my mom in 1982.
At this moment, somewhere, a baby is being born.
Someone is meeting an old friend for coffee.
Someone is experiencing such joy, they can’t stop giggling.
Someone is meeting their soulmate.
Somewhere, a child is laughing for the first time.
Somewhere, someone is hearing “I love you” for the first time. Someone is saying “I love you, too.”
At this moment, someone is adding to this Tumblr list of good things that happened in 2016.
Blooming in adversity – or rather, in the middle of the lots of rock we have here in the NWT
At this moment, perhaps someone is tasting the dessert they will, from now on, call their favourite.
Someone is picking up a loved one at the airport.
Two someones, somewhere, have their arms around one another in a fierce, healing hug.
Someone is traveling to place they’ve never been and will come to adore.
Somewhere in this world, a flower is just blooming. opening its face to the sun.
This ocean is in BC, as we don’t have one in Yellowknife.
Someone is dipping their feet in the ocean.
Someone is finishing a piece of art they have been working on for so long.
Someone is writing a novel.
Somewhere, the sun is shining. I promise it is shining.
Yes, there are many things to be outraged at in the world now – if you aren’t outraged, you aren’t paying attention – but there are also so many things that spark joy.
So let’s be joyful, too. Let’s take care of one another. Let’s keep putting the good out there, because we refuse to let the terrible things win. Let’s keep adding to this list. And let’s hope.
