A month or so ago, we moved back to America. Since then, I’ve been very busy trying to build a home for our children, help them navigate American culture (we have one daughter that was born in Switzerland, one that lived there since she was 2, and one daughter who has spent half her life in Europe- America feels foreign to them). During my down time, I’ve been trying to organize my thoughts. I’ve been flipping through my travel notebooks, and I had a short story that reminded me about my drive to spread what I have lovingly referred to since the beginning of my blog, as “the good stuff”.
When I was last in Florence, I was walking through the Ognissanti from Santa Maria Novella. A man was walking behind me, whistling. For whatever reason, he startled me. I stepped to the side of the sidewalk, as I often do when I get nervous, or a feel someone too close to me. As I did this, the man apologized for frightening me. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.
I feel like we live in a time where we highlight every awful thing. We fail to recognize the positive moments. We don’t publicize shows of respect or acts of kindness. How is this to change if we don’t share our positive stories - both big and seemingly small? How will people learn that the way they behave matters? If the only ones getting press are people that hurt or emotionally wound others, how will good ever truly prevail?
Sure, having information about the scary things in the world arms us to protect ourselves, but at what point is it too much? At what point will we recognize if we focus more on the positive, if we share more of “the good stuff”, that positive influence will spread, and I truly believe, create change.
This is a call to action for all of you out there. If you see something positive, please share it. If you want to share it on my blog, reach out! I want to share the amazing things people are doing- big, small, and creative. I have personally experienced more than once how an act of compassion or kindness that feels small to you, often has a big impact on others, and those around them. Share your stories! #thegoodstuff