With the glut of negativity circulating in daily discourse now-a-days even for someone like myself; without television, radio or newspaper connections in my home, one can't help but have some of these stories infiltrate their consciousness. If you read these musings of mine, then you would know I am internet "connected" - so even though I don't seek a steady diet of catastrophe and mayhem, some news of such events continues to reach me.
It is not my intention to set myself a part and claim superiority due to my conscious intention to limit my exposure to the media's presentation of "the world" - I just don't see any value in directing anymore energy there. I am more interested in how I go about, making the world a better place through contribution.
Before anyone accuses me of "sticking my head in the sand" (like an ostrich) I just read the other day, that in fact, ostriches don't stick their heads in the sand "to hide;" they bury their eggs and occasionally will burrow down and rotate the eggs as part of the incubation process. So then, so much for that myth! I don't happen to believe that obsessing over ever sordid detail of these news stories serves any useful purpose.
I fail to see how joining the chorus of people ranting and raving; further spreading anger, violent viewpoints and fear, makes the world any less subject to those very things.
There is so much good going on in the world - all day, every day, everywhere; why not focus on that?
In this world where hyper-cynicism and doom and gloom prognosticators monopolize the airwaves, I neither want to dwell there - nor continually feed more of it. Therefore I offer the following anecdote; one that reenforces for me that I am looked after (it's possible I keep my guardian angels busy around the clock) or at the very least, reaffirms that there are many people continuing to represent the best of humanity.
About four months ago I bought myself a new pair of 3/4 length pants. (I can hear the collective gasp- first he alludes to the whoas of the world and then starts rambling about new clothes - so out of touch!!!)
It so happens the pants are a necessary element of the story! As well as regular hip pockets there is a zipper pocket on the side of each pant leg. One of these pockets has become the designated spot for my small folding wallet; seldom is there cash in it, but it has all my "cards." Library card, recreation centre card, debit card, credit cards etc.
Though markedly improving, I have had some "learning curve" getting into the habit of zipping said pockets closed. So then, as of yesterday, I have now "lost" my wallet four times! Three of the four times I didn't even realize I had lost it. In one case, someone from the local pool called to say they had my wallet which someone found in the neighbourhood and brought it to them because they saw the pool pass. Another time the security guard that "walks the beat" around the block where I often busk, handed it to me; someone in that neighbourhood had given it to him and he recognized my picture on the driver's license. Yesterday, I was on my dinner break at work and a call came in from Montreal. I first thought, " I don't know anyone in Montreal," hmm.... - but then I got the sense I should take the call. The call was a Visa rep. calling me to inform me that someone had found my wallet on the road (along the route I cycled to work earlier) and they had his contact info so that I could retrieve it. The first time I had been having coffee with a friend. We finished, and had started to drive away in her car when I realized I didn't have my wallet. I looked through my pockets and backpack - it was nowhere to be found. We circled back, and I ran back into the coffee shop thinking it fell out while I was sitting at the counter. It wasn't there and the staff hadn't found it. As I was coming out of the shop my friend was running toward me - while waiting for me, she noticed another women pick something up from the road outside where we were parked and "thought" it looked like my wallet - which it was!
Each time my wallet was returned to me with everything intact. And no, nobody went on any spending sprees with my credit cards.
I happen to believe that everything works out for me; I have no predilection on exactly how that will go down, just that it will. And so it does! I did lose my cell phone not so long ago much the same way; though I didn't get that phone back I did manage to get a new phone through the same provider. With some "persuasion"/negotiating; I got better features, a slightly lower rate and no early contract renewal penalty.
Now I could see many people being quick to dismiss any one of these incidents as my "being lucky" and begrudgingly acknowledging that "at least there is one honest person left in the world; but five times!!?
Call me "little Robbie-Anna" if you will, still I'm going to maintain that as Louis Armstrong crooned: "It's a Wonderful World."
By all means continue to embrace the grey cloud rather than the silver lining and far be it for me, to rattle your "I'm not being pessimistic I'm realistic" cage.
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