By TMoM Team Member Ellen Bryant Lloyd
I was listening to NPR on my car radio one afternoon and heard the reporter relay one negative story after another. It felt as though the world was filled with nothing but sadness, tragedy, and unrest. Instead of feeling informed, I felt anxious, stressed, and upset. It was oppressive.
As I approached an intersection, I looked up and noticed a man standing at a bus stop beside my car. He was singing and dancing exuberantly with a huge grin across his face. I opened my window and heard him, in a loud, powerful, and jubilant voice, singing what seemed to be a song of praise. I clearly heard him belt out a line about hope and joy. Interestingly, I did not hear music playing from a phone or any other source. The music he heard was coming from within, and he was sharing it enthusiastically, with his voice and body.
The juxtaposition of this moment struck me. Even in the midst of so much negative news, there is always hope. There is always joy. There is always good.
It is easy to be influenced and overwhelmed by the negative that crosses our path on a daily, if not hourly basis. Stories from across the globe of wars, crime, tragedies, natural disasters, homelessness, political discontent and other depressing and distressing topics seem to be everywhere. The “instant information” world we live in can be both a blessing and a curse. I have a friend who “quit” television and newspapers a number of years ago because she grew weary of all the negative news. At first, her decision surprised me, but later recognized the merit in her thinking.
We all know that children are influenced by what they see and hear, so it is logical to assume they are also impacted by negative news. As their perception of the world is still being shaped, it seems as though it would be beneficial to help our children (and ourselves) seek out the positive— in all areas. Despite what it may often seem like, there is a lot of good news in the world.
In addition to finding sources for positive news, we can encourage children to seek opportunities to help make a difference in our community, to show compassion and kindness to others so they can be part of the good news stories.
There is always hope. There is always joy. And there is always good. Even at a city bus stop. Let’s help each other find it, each and every day.
Sources for Good News:
- Today Show Good News — www.today.com/news/good-news
- Upworthy — www.upworthy.com/good_news/
- Global Positive News Network — www.globalpositivenewsnetwork.com/blog/?utm_source=feedspot
- BBC News Uplifting Stories — www.bbc.com/news/topics/cx2pk70323et
- Daily Good — www.dailygood.org/
- Reasons to be Cheerful — reasonstobecheerful.world/
- Sunny Skyz — www.sunnyskyz.com/
Ellen Bryant Lloyd is a writer and mom of two children, one who has flown from the nest and the other is not far from it. She is an author, freelance writer and memoir ghostwriter. Ellen lives in Greensboro with her husband, her daughter, when she is home from college. She looks forward to seeing her son, who is now living and working in a nearby metropolitan city, as often as possible.
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