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Joy is all around, even in the gloomiest of places.

While scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day, I noticed a post by my good friend Yvonne: “The Day of Good News“; and I thought, “What an awesome idea!”. Many of us had a challenging 2016, compounded by a stream of terrorist attacks around the world, the deaths of some of our most cherished artists, the refugee crisis and the list goes on… With all of this news swirling around, it’s tough to escape the general sense of gloom. Yvonne’s post hit a switch in my mind and instead of reading the same old news feeds, I started actively searching for good news. Lo and behold…. there was lots of it! A simple search on social media led me to:

  • a teacher who gives free lessons to kids in slums;
  • about the boy who shaved his head in support of his grandfather who has cancer and got bullied at school for doing it. The school principle stood up for the boy by getting his head shaved;
  • the people who were found alive after an avalanche buried the hotel they were staying at in Italy;
  • tiger numbers around the world are rising for the first time in more than a century;
  • India’s incredible reforestation efforts;
  • the creation of the world’s largest marine reserve in Antarctica;
  • this YouTuber who shares nothing but good news!
  • this website which features inspirational and feel-good stories;
  • and it goes on and on and on…

As I read these stories, I laughed, felt hopeful and inspired, and even shed a tear of joy.

I thought, “It’s just a simple flip of the switch isn’t it?”

Indeed, a simple switch from gloom and doom to joy and inspiration.

So the good news is…. Beauty, joy, love and inspiration is all around us!

All one has to do is reach out to it, embrace it and share it. A simple recipe to help us snap out of that gloomy cycle. And that’s what I intend to do more of going forward. I’ll start by sharing more good news. I’ll also tell my loved ones how much they mean to me and cherish the time I spend with them. Stop for a few moments wherever I am to appreciate the beauty around me. Show empathy and gratitude. Help those in need. And continue to smile.

Thank you Yvonne! 🙂

keith-espanola-galapagos-photo
Smiling in the Galapagos Islands. 🙂

What’s your good news today? 🙂

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4 Responses

  • I’m with you Roxanne! It doesn’t take much effort to focus on positive stories and share them. I hope more and more people will do this, and so contribute to a much more positive vibe around the world.

    Hugs,
    Keith

  • 100% with you on this, Keith. I live in Africa and certainly there are lots of terribly sad stories here, but there are also many wonderfully inspiring stories. If we want to create what we’d like to see in the world, sharing the positive stories is a good way to start.

  • So nice, can totally relate to this. Once made a good news paper..lets continue 🙂

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