Still Loving Life

In last week's blog I wrote about how great life is, how everything was going so well, how I was loving life.  Then on Monday - the day I posted the blog - the bombs in Boston happened.  Then the poisoned letters were detected.  Then the explosion at the West, Texas fertilizer facility.  Then the M.I.T. shooting.  Then back to Boston/Watertown with the shoot out and killing of one of the suspects in the bombing, and the search for and apprehension of the other suspect.  THEN the earthquake in China.  So much misery, so much suffering, so much loss of life.  NOW WHAT?!  Did this change my outlook?  Did this change my happiness?  I have to say, this certainly challenged my belief system... briefly.

I believe that happiness is a choice.  It's something you decide to be, to feel.  It has nothing to do with what is going on around you or outside of you.  It has to do with what's going on inside of you.  It's about how you choose to process information.  I still choose happiness.  I choose to believe in the goodness of humanity.

I am so sorry for all the people who were injured in any of the above mentioned events and for their families.  My heart, compassion and prayers go out to all of them for as long as they need it.  But did you see how wonderful people have been?  Ordinary people stepped up and did extraordinary things when it was needed.  It's a situation I hope none of us ever have to face.  But when these ordinary people were faced with it, they became heroes.  They performed heroic acts without ever giving it a thought.  A lot of the stories haven't even been told yet.  Some may never be told.

These were big events... national news.  But I see things like this happening all the time.  I live in the North Eastern United States.  We get snow... LOTS of snow.  All winter when cars get stuck in the snow, complete strangers will stop and help push or dig them out.  That's just one example.  People are basically good.  Sure there are a few strays that can make you think otherwise.  But think about this: the Boston bombings were apparently accomplished by TWO people.  But hundreds if not thousands of people have responded with love, compassion and help of all kinds.

Fred Rogers said, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would tell me to look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping."  I've seen that and I believe that.  The goodness of humanity is amazing and I'm STILL loving life.

Love,  Paula