This Thanksgiving, we went around the table declaring what we are thankful for. There’s the things everyone says; health, family and friends education and everything else in my life. There are so many things for me that I’m thankful for.
Then I try to look on a global scale. And to be honest, this year was not an easy one.
- When we were 21 weeks into 2018, there had been 23 school shootings
- Up to 1,000 species could go extinct this year
- People started eating Tide Pods. For fun. Right.
- A false alarm missile threat to Hawaii
- Humboldt Broncos bus crash
- Logan Paul filmed a dead body (from suicide) and made fun of it
- SO much more
For me, it is hard not to get caught up in the fact that there have been so many wrongs this year. So many things that make your heart ache.
It’s so hard not to focus on the pain the world causes.
But believe it or not, among all the deaths, all the pain, all the negativity, there is good in our world.
- Ava DuVernay became the first black woman a film that grossed more than $100 million
- More women are running for office than ever (and they are winning)
- Toronto hosted its first ever Indigenous Fashion Week
- #MeToo
- Australia is on track to become the first country to wipe out a type of cancer
- We are closer than ever to having a drug that treats autism symptoms
- A 13-year old woke up after being declared brain dead just as his parents were preparing to donate his organs
There is good out there.
Somebody once told me that you can’t let a rough five minutes turn your day into a bad one. Life is to short, don’t waste an entire day because of one crappy thing.
Looking for the good in a world of bad is a skill, and it’s something I need to improve upon.
If it’s an issue that you can’t seem to stop thinking about, do something about it. When Gord Downie died, I was devastated. But instead of letting it continuously upset me, I did something. I put my pain into words, and started a GoFundMe for the ‘Gord Downie Channie Wenjack Fund’.
I turned my pain into drive. And if all the pain in the world was turned into drive, imagine the good we could do.
claire pontefract's blog 
Indigenous Fashion Week! That’s awesome! Clothing is a huge conversation when it comes to women’s rights globally. Great highlight for the year 🙂
On this Thanksgiving Day, thank you, Claire, for pointing out so clearly that there are indeed good things happening in this mixed-up world of ours. It’s easy to lose sight of the good especially when the media seems to deliver mainly on the bad.😏 Today especially, and every day of the year, we should strive to recognize and acknowledge all the good things that are happening in our wonderful world.
Thank you for your gift of perspective, empathy, and respect. Luv ya.