Out of the Cold War, comes life...
In a former "no-man's land" of the Cold War, a large strip of land all across Europe, animals have made a home and have thrived. Since humans decided they couldn't work well or play well together, animals came in and did just that. Hopefully, this land will remain a sanctuary to the newer inhabitants for a long time to come.
Pollyanna
Making Rainbows
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
6/514 Good Things
Today's good thing.
In keeping with yesterday's good thing, we're still on the idea of planting, today. Only this is in Zambia. For so long, African nations have been under the thumb of colonization, and many of the solutions for their problems have come from outside the continent. This helpful app was developed by a Zambian man, for the Zambian people. Hopefully it will help farmers improve their crops, and therefore, their livelihoods! Technology and growing things from the ground, who knew it would make such a beautiful pairing?!
In keeping with yesterday's good thing, we're still on the idea of planting, today. Only this is in Zambia. For so long, African nations have been under the thumb of colonization, and many of the solutions for their problems have come from outside the continent. This helpful app was developed by a Zambian man, for the Zambian people. Hopefully it will help farmers improve their crops, and therefore, their livelihoods! Technology and growing things from the ground, who knew it would make such a beautiful pairing?!
Thursday, August 29, 2019
5/514 Good Things
School gardens, today's good thing.
School gardens are becoming more prevalent across the country, and this story from the East Coast talks of how they are thriving even in the summer when students are out of school. Volunteers make the world such a better place, regardless of what they're volunteering to do. And school gardens provide teaching and learning opportunities, and produce food and give students a chance to try new foods.
I would love to see this trend continue and increase nationwide, perhaps teaming up with local food banks or other organizations to make sure that extra food ends up in the hands of low-income people who could make good use of it. Many of us talk about how homegrown/farmer's market produce is healthiest for everybody, but not everybody has access to it. Maybe school gardens can help bridge that gap.
School gardens are becoming more prevalent across the country, and this story from the East Coast talks of how they are thriving even in the summer when students are out of school. Volunteers make the world such a better place, regardless of what they're volunteering to do. And school gardens provide teaching and learning opportunities, and produce food and give students a chance to try new foods.
I would love to see this trend continue and increase nationwide, perhaps teaming up with local food banks or other organizations to make sure that extra food ends up in the hands of low-income people who could make good use of it. Many of us talk about how homegrown/farmer's market produce is healthiest for everybody, but not everybody has access to it. Maybe school gardens can help bridge that gap.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
4/514 Good Things
Today's Good News
The proposal to increase rhino hunting in Africa was rejected overwhelmingly. This is good news to current and hopefully many future rhinos. Hunt rhinos? Hell no!
The proposal to increase rhino hunting in Africa was rejected overwhelmingly. This is good news to current and hopefully many future rhinos. Hunt rhinos? Hell no!
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
3/514 Good Things
Love Wins Out
Today's good thing, is this report out of Modesto, California. A straight-pride parade draws a whopping 20 joiners, while the counter protest drew over 200 people! It's good to see that love and acceptance for others has a 10/1 ratio over people who choose hate and fear. Let us hope that as the other straight pride parades move forward, they are met with at least that same ratio, if not more, of people trying to drown out hate with love!
Today's good thing, is this report out of Modesto, California. A straight-pride parade draws a whopping 20 joiners, while the counter protest drew over 200 people! It's good to see that love and acceptance for others has a 10/1 ratio over people who choose hate and fear. Let us hope that as the other straight pride parades move forward, they are met with at least that same ratio, if not more, of people trying to drown out hate with love!
Monday, August 26, 2019
2/514
Today's good news...
Barbie fans, doll collectors, feminists, civil rights activists, and science enthusiasts all have reason to rejoice as the news came out today that Mattel will be putting out Rosa Parks and Sally Ride dolls. I don't know about you, but I think they look beautiful!
I think I need to collect all of these!
Barbie fans, doll collectors, feminists, civil rights activists, and science enthusiasts all have reason to rejoice as the news came out today that Mattel will be putting out Rosa Parks and Sally Ride dolls. I don't know about you, but I think they look beautiful!
Sunday, August 25, 2019
1/514
According to the internet, there are actually a few more days until the 2021 Inauguration, so the count is actually 514. Normally I will try to find actual news pieces to share, and I did find some that I've bookmarked for another time, but for today I thought I'd write up a list I've been working on all day. I would love more ideas for this list, so if it inspires you and you think of any others, let me know! I'd love to expand the list.
Life is rough, there are a lot of expectations we have on ourselves as adults. There are a lot of no-nos that we impose on ourselves and each other. This is a list of things that I am hereby giving us all permission to partake of in life. If it helps you get through the day and feel better about yourself or life, go for it! The only thing we're not allowed to do, is judge ourselves or each other for doing anything on this list. Here they are, in no particular order:
*Read books geared towards children, tweens, or teens. Seeing the latest craze and feeling left out? Give it a try!
*Reread your favorite books you read as a child or young person. Break out those Baby-Sitters Club books I know you have stashed away in your attic and read them again.
*Watch the Disney Channel/Nickelodeon/the Cartoon Network. There's a lot of fun stuff on these channels.
*Enjoy sappy Hallmark movies. And not just the holiday ones. Because, why not?
*Not have an opinion on an issue that doesn't interest you or that you don't know enough about. No, seriously, it's ok.
*Color in children's coloring books. With crayons.
*Make friendship bracelets. Remember those? Let's bring them back.
*Turn off the news and social media when it's too much. This doesn't make you a bad person.
*And never turned it on again, ever, if you need that. Looking out for your own mental health needs is never bad or selfish.
*Not worry about calories. Enjoy the heck out of that doughnut you're contemplating and feeling guilty about wanting.
*Not know the answer to something. We never stop learning in life, it's ok to not know something.
*Take delight in silly, small things. This can make the difference between an unbearable day and a day that you know you'll at least get through.
*Read comic books. DC, Marvel, Elfquest, Archie, whatever you want. They're fun, and why would you deny yourself fun?
*Go to the zoo/aquarium/Disneyland, even if you don't have kids. A lot of adults avoid these types of places if they don't have children because they aren't made to feel welcome there. But let me tell you, sometimes these places are MORE fun without children...!!
*For women-It's ok to love the color pink. You are not betraying your feminist beliefs by loving pink, I promise you.
*Not be perfect. Let's all give ourselves and each other a break, ok?
*Eat S'mores. Next time you're at a campfire and the kids break out the graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, make sure to join in.
*Do word-find puzzles. Sure suduko and crossword puzzles are considered more "intellectual" or a better use of time, but sometimes it's just too much. You have my permission to do word-find puzzles with impunity.
*Rewatch favorite childhood shows and movies. You know you want to. Go ahead and break out those Full House dvds or rewatch Labyrinth or The Neverending Story. It's never a bad thing to watch these!
So, there you go. This is a small list of things I am now declaring ok for people of all ages to do, free of judgement or fear of being discovered for enjoying. There's a lot of garbage in the world, and allowing people to find happy and healthy ways to temporarily or permanently escape from that garbage is important. We can lift each other up by extending the common courtesy of not putting others down for doing these things. I hope you all enjoy finding little ways to take care of yourselves during this time. We all need it!
Life is rough, there are a lot of expectations we have on ourselves as adults. There are a lot of no-nos that we impose on ourselves and each other. This is a list of things that I am hereby giving us all permission to partake of in life. If it helps you get through the day and feel better about yourself or life, go for it! The only thing we're not allowed to do, is judge ourselves or each other for doing anything on this list. Here they are, in no particular order:
*Read books geared towards children, tweens, or teens. Seeing the latest craze and feeling left out? Give it a try!
*Reread your favorite books you read as a child or young person. Break out those Baby-Sitters Club books I know you have stashed away in your attic and read them again.
*Watch the Disney Channel/Nickelodeon/the Cartoon Network. There's a lot of fun stuff on these channels.
*Enjoy sappy Hallmark movies. And not just the holiday ones. Because, why not?
*Not have an opinion on an issue that doesn't interest you or that you don't know enough about. No, seriously, it's ok.
*Color in children's coloring books. With crayons.
*Make friendship bracelets. Remember those? Let's bring them back.
*Turn off the news and social media when it's too much. This doesn't make you a bad person.
*And never turned it on again, ever, if you need that. Looking out for your own mental health needs is never bad or selfish.
*Not worry about calories. Enjoy the heck out of that doughnut you're contemplating and feeling guilty about wanting.
*Not know the answer to something. We never stop learning in life, it's ok to not know something.
*Take delight in silly, small things. This can make the difference between an unbearable day and a day that you know you'll at least get through.
*Read comic books. DC, Marvel, Elfquest, Archie, whatever you want. They're fun, and why would you deny yourself fun?
*Go to the zoo/aquarium/Disneyland, even if you don't have kids. A lot of adults avoid these types of places if they don't have children because they aren't made to feel welcome there. But let me tell you, sometimes these places are MORE fun without children...!!
*For women-It's ok to love the color pink. You are not betraying your feminist beliefs by loving pink, I promise you.
*Not be perfect. Let's all give ourselves and each other a break, ok?
*Eat S'mores. Next time you're at a campfire and the kids break out the graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, make sure to join in.
*Do word-find puzzles. Sure suduko and crossword puzzles are considered more "intellectual" or a better use of time, but sometimes it's just too much. You have my permission to do word-find puzzles with impunity.
*Rewatch favorite childhood shows and movies. You know you want to. Go ahead and break out those Full House dvds or rewatch Labyrinth or The Neverending Story. It's never a bad thing to watch these!
So, there you go. This is a small list of things I am now declaring ok for people of all ages to do, free of judgement or fear of being discovered for enjoying. There's a lot of garbage in the world, and allowing people to find happy and healthy ways to temporarily or permanently escape from that garbage is important. We can lift each other up by extending the common courtesy of not putting others down for doing these things. I hope you all enjoy finding little ways to take care of yourselves during this time. We all need it!
510 Days Left
1460 Days
I wrote the above blog post on January 1, 2017, and by my calculations, 950 days have passed since then. That leaves 510 days left until Inauguration Day, 2021 when the next presidency will begin.
After a discussion with my cousin last night, I realized that I hadn't been doing this blog or this project, pretty much since I set out to do it. I had given in to the fear, anger, and despair. Granted, there's been a lot to have fear, anger, and despair for, but I have come to the conclusion that I just can't live in that and sustain any sort of healthy life.
I can't ignore the bad things in this world, or not fight them, but at the same time, I can't ignore the good things, or not embrace them, either. I have been out of balance for too long, and it's time I fixed that. As I said in my original post, if I have to spend the rest of this presidency playing the Glad Game, then so be it.
I realized something this past summer as I did my annual viewing of the classic Disney film, Pollyanna. The Glad Game isn't some saccharine, cutesy game played by somebody who had a lot to be glad about, it's actually a defense mechanism that Pollyanna and her father used to get through life. It was a conscious choice, their way of saying "I will not let the horrors of the world define me or control my emotions. I choose joy, because how else can I get through life if I am not positive? I will not let those horrors win. I choose happiness."
I wrote the above blog post on January 1, 2017, and by my calculations, 950 days have passed since then. That leaves 510 days left until Inauguration Day, 2021 when the next presidency will begin.
After a discussion with my cousin last night, I realized that I hadn't been doing this blog or this project, pretty much since I set out to do it. I had given in to the fear, anger, and despair. Granted, there's been a lot to have fear, anger, and despair for, but I have come to the conclusion that I just can't live in that and sustain any sort of healthy life.
I can't ignore the bad things in this world, or not fight them, but at the same time, I can't ignore the good things, or not embrace them, either. I have been out of balance for too long, and it's time I fixed that. As I said in my original post, if I have to spend the rest of this presidency playing the Glad Game, then so be it.
I realized something this past summer as I did my annual viewing of the classic Disney film, Pollyanna. The Glad Game isn't some saccharine, cutesy game played by somebody who had a lot to be glad about, it's actually a defense mechanism that Pollyanna and her father used to get through life. It was a conscious choice, their way of saying "I will not let the horrors of the world define me or control my emotions. I choose joy, because how else can I get through life if I am not positive? I will not let those horrors win. I choose happiness."
So, I am going to embrace the Glad Game too. I will continue to talk about the things we need to fight for or against, but I will also try to balance it out with at least one positive post a day. A respite from all the awfulness that seems to be cascading upon this planet with a swiftness we could not imagine with this presidency began.
For too long, I let this presidency bring nothing but anger out of me, and it took my voice away. I haven't blogged in a long time, and even the novel I'm trying to write is a daily struggle. I've let this awful person have too much of my energy, and it's time I take it back. I will not live in fear of what might happen in the world, not when I can still speak out against it. It's not much, but sometimes it's all we can do.
Are any of you also feeling out of balance right now? Like the world is overwhelming and just too much? I highly recommend that you find ways to limit what you consume in the news and on social media. There are some very simple ways to wrest back control of those two issues that seem to be consuming us, instead of the other way around. And for the sake of your own mental health, take breaks from the horrors every once in a while. Even if it means you miss something entirely. The fight will still be there when you get back. None of us is any good if we're drained, hollow shells of our former selves. And with as much energy as you spend on the bad things in the world, I encourage you to spend an equal amount on the good things in the world. And if you can't find good things, then become the good thing yourself.
Some days it might be really difficult to find something good to focus on, but I am determined to seek it out and share it with you all. I have 510 days left until the next presidency, I can choose to see that as 510 days of horror to endure or 510 days of opportunities to find good and be good. I know which one I want to choose. How about you?
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