I don’t know about you, but I am exhausted from of all the sad news going on in the world. I have personally had a pretty hard year. I have cried more this year than I have in my entire life (I’m not typically a crier). Maybe being a mother has softened my heart a little. I seem to cry at the drop of a sad story and I think, who is this woman!? Honestly, I embrace my soft heart now because it used to be so hard for me to cry and I think it is important to have some emotional release. However, when I am bombarded with only sad news, it is hard for me to not apply these stories to my life and although feeling empathetic is a good quality, I want to focus on the positive things going on in the world.
Some happy stories to brighten your day!
- Shout out to a local celebrity, Bill Murray, for making a couple’s birth announcement a moment that they will never, ever forget. Kristen & Robbie Schloss are like many other parents and had a difficult time getting pregnant. Well, it finally happened and they decided to tell their parents at a Cubs game. Bill Murray made the announcement for them, at the game, to their entire family! There were tears of joy and hugs and love. Could there be a more exciting and heartwarming announcement for such a sweet couple?! Thanks Bill Murray, you make Charleston proud!!
- The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize went to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”. Isn’t this amazing? I didn’t even realize that the awards were going on! In a time when talk of a nuclear war can be terrifying, I find it heart warming that there is an entire group dedicated to cutting out nuclear weapons all together. See, good that is in the world!? Whew!
- Ok, here’s one that made my weepy heart melt. Alyssa Kapasi is a 17 year-old who volunteers for an organization that provides free tutoring for those who cannot afford the help. Wait, it gets better. She noticed that there was always free food there for the students and she wondered, why? They just had lunch and should be eating dinner right after tutoring. Then she realized the food was being donated because it would be the last meal of the day for so many of these students (Enter tears). So, Alyssa gathered with a few friends and developed an App that will prevent these students from going hungry. The app is a way that parents (relatives, generous adults, etc) can pay for school lunches for any child. There is a donation part of the app that allows adults to anonymously donate money for children’s lunches. Hunger is a serious issue and it is happening everywhere, not just overseas. Alyssa and her friends saw an issue, and took the initiative to help them. Now, parents can make a donation easily and help prevent these children from going hungry. Amazing!
- Did you know that horses can grow mustaches? Yes. Its true. Get ready to smile!
- Another local heroic story: Charleston Animal Society is helping homeless dogs who were affected by the recent storms. CAS employees will go to Atlanta to pick up dogs from Puerto Rico and next week they will travel all the way to the US Virgin Islands to rescue dogs who were affected by Hurricane Maria. They have already taken in over 500 animals from Florida/Georgia who were affected by Irma. It makes me proud (once again) to be part of a community that is so willing to help others. If you are looking for a new pet, now would be such a wonderful time to add a member to your family!
- If you know me at all, you know I have a passion for creating a better future for our children. I am borderline obsessed with trying to find ways to cut out plastic in my life (check out my post about ways to cut out plastic). Did you know that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean fish? Seriously. Well at Ocean Sole, they are collecting plastic (specifically flip-flops) from the ocean, and making it into art! Of course, we want to see this plastic out of the ocean, but Ocean Sole is employing locals who have a hard time finding work, they are cleaning up our oceans and our beaches, and making beautiful art. (https://bittersweetmonthly.com/stories/ocean-sole).
I hope that you have found some joy and happiness in reading these stories. The harsh news that we typically hear daily can be overwhelming, sad, and just frightening. I have to remind myself that with all of the bad happening, there is so much more good in the world – we just have to surround ourselves with those stories. I will always (especially with my new tender-mama-heart) sympathize with anyone who suffers from pain and sadness, but we have to learn to not let it consume us. These stories inspire me to look at what is positive around us and continue to do good so that our children can live in a happy and healthy world.
