...because there is more to the story

you know what is amazing?right this second  someone--                                  somewhere----                                  in this beautiful world is doing something to make the world a little bit better.and to me, that is incredible. maybe they are being kind, understanding, or helpful. perhaps someone is acting selflessly or offering words of encouragement.  maybe someone else is donating their extra time, while another still is donating money they may or may not need.  someone is buying a meal for another person who is hungry.  and someone else just smiled at a stranger on the street.  someone is dedicating their life to be a doctor to save people's lives and someone else is doing the same by becoming a teacher.  just take a look around you.  today was meaningful because i watched the local news for about 15 minutes before i turned it off.  after two stories on reported shootings, one story about a local scam, and another about a recent rape on a college campus, i decided that i got the point:  there are too many bad things going on in the communities we live in.  but sometimes i think the news also misses the point of accurately depicting what else is  going on in our hometowns or nation.  i personally know of friends who are becoming mentors, friends who offer warm meals to people they do not know, and friends who donate money they may not necessarily have to someone who needs it more than they do.  i know of agencies and community leaders who are working tirelessly  to do something about poverty, substance abuse, and mental illness.  i know of colleagues who spend their days working with the populations they are passionate about.you don't hear about these kind of things on the news. i am all for knowing what is going on in the world around me, and i try my best to stay educated and up to date on current issues.  but i don't just want to hear about the bad and controversial, because i know there is more to our world than that.  and being up to date on current issues doesn't necessarily only have to include all the things that are going wrong.  there is good all around us.   i know i talk about it a lot.  too much maybe.  but i also know that it is something worth repeating every day.  this is our world.  our communities. our lives.  i understand that some change has to come from the top and trickle down.  other kinds of change however, must start with us.  what are you doing differently? to be kind.to be nice.to be helpful.to be a better person? 

do you think you could be doing more?

i truly, honestly, and genuinely would like to know :)