I don’t know about you, but boy, do I find watching the news depressing these days.
I mean, there must be some good things – some kind things – happening around the globe, yet those stories almost always take a back seat to the misery. M’gorgeous man, David Muir – of ABC’s ‘World News Tonight’ – guides us through one ghastly scenario after the next over 30 minutes. Only at the end, when we’re exhausted from hearing tales of woe, does he throw us an uplifting tidbit.
A girl scout, that when helped by a biker gang, raised thousands of dollars for a shelter. The lost wallet, missing for 25 years, found and returned to its original owner. In it, the only photo he had of his wedding, as all the others had been washed away in a storm.
A student who couldn’t attend her prom because she was in hospital, so the staff brought the rite of passage – balloons and all – to her ward.
Even if these lovely reports would bring a tear to the eye under normal circumstances; when the news preceding it is so woeful, it simply takes the sight of a biker hugging a girl scout for the waterworks to start in earnest.
I can gripe and groan like the best of them. I’ve recently noticed that there seems to be at least one thing that gets up my nose each day, to the point that my bestie, Lynne, said, “Wow – are you a grumpy Gus!” (She grew up in the era of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’.)
She was right; when had I stopped appreciating the little things and focused more on simple joys? It is so easy to get dragged down by bad news, to the point that you end up being a little thundercloud.
I decided to instead actively start focusing on the positives, and consider heartwarming scenes to which I’d been privy, or stories I’d read, that would lift my spirits rather than drag them down.
The first opportunity presented itself almost immediately. After finally finding parking at the airport (gripe, gripe – “When are they EVER going to expand this thing?!” – grumble, grumble), I went to wait at ‘Arrivals’ for my friend coming in on WestJet.
I’m sure most of you have seen the film ‘Love Actually’, starring Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and a host of other stars. There are those lovely lines from it: “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion is starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere.
“Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends.”
I got a window into this sentiment as I sat opposite the exit doors from baggage claim in Owen Roberts International. There were so many yips of excitement as craned necks were rewarded with a glimpse of a friend or family member pushing a cart into the gallery, soon to be enveloped by welcoming arms.
My favourite, however, was when I saw a young woman holding a large bouquet of red roses. I fancied she was waiting for some beau to come off the plane. I mean, why shouldn’t women buy men flowers in this day and age?
I couldn’t have been more wrong. The automatic doors whispered open, and a girl probably the age of six or seven, with big afro bunches on either side of her head, ran from the pack of family behind her to the young woman, yelling, “Mummy! Mummy!” She gave her a huge hug, right the way up from her tippy-toes, and her mother hugged her back, then handed her the roses, which she carried around beaming until they left the building.
Man … something in my eye.
About a week ago, I drove past the Humane Society when it was clearly walkies time. Volunteer dog walkers were taking their charges out for a sniff and a jog, and those animals could not have been happier. Their tongues lolled out as they almost pulled their companions along the route, noses constantly lowering to take in some wonderful and exciting new smell. Often they would look up with such appreciation and joy at the human who had so kindly paid them a visit.
Indeed, when we read stories online or in the paper about adopted pets, it does our hearts good. When someone flying to Tampa, New York or Toronto is willing to take a shelter animal with them to a waiting forever home on the other side, and we see that first reunion, doesn’t it make us believe the best in people? I tell you, nothing helps take the blues away like adopting a pet that will love you unconditionally.
(I mean, we have cats, and I think they love us, but they’re entitled to just be comfy and live their lives. If we get a purr or attention once in a while, that’s a win.)
Uplifting stories from local charities like ARK, and annual incentives like Toys for Tots Cayman (coming soon to a Christmas near you) show how a community can make such a difference to the lives of others. A repaired home with reconnected utilities for someone in need; food on the table for others who are struggling; a brightly wrapped gift for a child to open in the festive season …
Generosity can reach further afield – in fact, halfway around the world. Did you read the story in our 29 Aug. paper of the rugby kits donated to youth teams in Kenya? The pictures of the players so proud in their official gear should put a smile on anyone’s face.
Speaking of smiles, how nice is it when a cashier at a supermarket greets you with a big smile and asks about your day? Or the border control agent at the airport warmly welcomes you to the Cayman Islands? Or our famous ‘dancing policeman’ Fabian O’Connor gently takes the hand of a toddler to guide her across the road at the traffic lights in town?
Little gestures like these can restore your faith in humanity.
Of course, we can’t block out the news – we need to be aware of what’s going on in our world. But maybe we should make an effort to seek out the good; and be part of the solution as well.
“If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaky feeling, love, actually … is all around.”
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