What gives me hope...

Just a little anecdote from my day that boosted my spirits. If one were to interpret the world
through the lens of television news or even through some online chatrooms (...cough...cough....ahem) one might get the impression that things are going to hell, that people are greedy, mean,
abusive, selfish, etc. But in my reality at least there are many many more good people
than 'bad' and a million good deeds that are never seen or heard about by the majority,
and aren't magnified by the media. Pretty darn good percentages if you're a betting person.

I've had many such experiences but here's the one that happened today.

I went to the laundromat to wash some big quilts and there was a young family there (a mother,
father, male toddler, and his two older sisters). While I went about my business I was witness to
their joyful, lively and loving interaction with one another - the mother and toddler giggling and and then bursting into rolling laughter together followed by a big embrace and motherly cooing of "I love you so much". And the father very excitedly sharing some musical discovery with his wife and him singing the lyrics to her. The youngest girl breaking out in dance at the sound of her father's singing....and on and on.
So beautiful. I might add that this was a Mexican American family but I don't think that is
a particularly significant detail to this story. It was just a lovely family.

Then a man walks in who is probably in his 50's and he begins cleaning windows in the place...the maintenance guy for the laundromat I assume. He begins cheerfully talking to the young father, just
making conversation, but then launches into a story about how he used to work at another laundromat (in another state) that was really cool because it was a combination laundromat/restaurant/bar kind of thing all rolled into one. And then just as I've witnessed so many times between men, he leans into the young father with that confidential look and starts telling him about how the REALLY special thing about this other place was the girls...they served drinks in bikinis and OMG... the bodies on them, etc. ETC. The young father saw where this was going and he said gently but firmly that he felt this conversation was inappropriate and disrespectful to women and he wouldn't want his wife or any of his children to overhear it, nor would he. The older man looked taken aback and then angrily sputtered "I was just trying to be friendly!". The young man replied, "what you said is NOT friendly to my ears."

It was as though some ancient dark code had been broken and just like that things had somehow changed...

So as we rally round the BIG issues that are important on a grand scale, it's also
those very intimate little moments of standing in one's truth, supporting and respecting others, that can so profoundly and quickly shift things toward the kind of world we want to create...