Goodness in the World
by doyle@doylearanstrom.com on Oct 10, 2021
There is an old joke, "cheer up, it could be worse. So, I cheered up and sure enough things got worse".
My mom used to say, there is so much sadness in the world. She was correct, there is a lot of sadness in the world. Having her husband die in a farm accident and one of her daughters die in a car accident led to a lot of sadness on her part.
But there is a lot more goodness. Is goodness a word? Must be, spellchecker did not kick it out. But, too often, many of us if not most of us forget the goodness in the world. [This is my new favorite word.]. One reason is we take it for granted.
Most every day, we are surrounded by good things, we just forget to notice. We get so caught up in the challenges and tragedies of the day, we can be oblivious to kindness and beauty that is also part of lives if we simply take the time to notice it.
The last few days I have watched the sunrise, and then later in the day, set. It’s pretty amazing. I saw a storm followed by a rainbow. I watched flowers bloom and butterflies dazzle.
Every day, babies are born, children play and learn, adults work, play, and raise families. Retirees often just play. I think that is one of the purposes of retirement. People interact with each other every day with smiles, courtesy, and respect.
For every unruly airline passenger, and the frequency seems to be increasing, there are thousands of travelers who treat other travelers and staff with courtesy and respect. The National News reports on the worst of the unruly passengers and they should, that is one way the few jerks who do this, know it is not acceptable. But having just completed a trip by air, something I do frequently, I can tell you the jerks are out there, but they are a small percentage.
There are people dealing with natural disasters. There are also people helping those affected by natural disasters, sometimes as professionals and sometimes as volunteers who care about their neighbors.
There are thousands in the health care system with serious problems. There are also thousands upon thousands of health care workers, often working double shifts doing their best to take care of them.
Some use religion to justify hate and violence. But many more people of faith are trying to be a "Good Samaritan" and "love their neighbor as themselves".
I am my mother's son and too often focus on sadness. When this happens, I try to remember one of my life's mottos. "I was sad I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet." Wherever we are in life, this is almost always someone who has more challenges.
We all have stuff and personal demons. I certainly know I do. At times, they are overwhelming. I know they are for me. During these times, I try to remember, life is good and there is more good in life than bad.
It’s easy to focus on life’s hardships and forget life’s blessings. I have family and friends who care about me. I eat regularly, sometimes too much. I live inside with running water and a dishwasher.
As I was writing this, I was listening to one of my favorite class rock playlists which I put together a while back. One of the songs came on and I started to dance. Now I have been told my whole life I have no rhythm and I suspect that's true. My dancing would have probably got me three zero's on "Dancing With the Stars" but who cares, there are times to dance because life is good.
If you are going thru a personal tragedy, my thoughts are with you. If life is good, but you are dwelling on the sadness, take a moment and refocus. Watch a sunrise, or sunset, or maybe both. Watch children playing. Notice strangers smiling and interacting with each other.
Life is not perfect, with lots of hardships, but life is good.