How’s everyone doing?

Are you, like me, waiting for the credits to roll across the sky to inform us that this disaster movie has finally come to an end?

One can only hope eh?

Here in British Columbia, we had the heat dome and epic fires last spring and summer and now the ridiculous deluge that has swamped so much of the province. And, lest we forget, we too, like the rest of the entire world, are engulfed in a vicious pandemic that surges and recedes, surges and recedes, like it’s own viral tide.

It truly feels like we lurch from crisis to crisis. But at the same time, here in the our little part of the world, we have somehow been spared. In spite of the endless acrid smoke and the fires that surrounded us last year, our house and immediate area was unscathed.

And now too, we have remained safely distant from the horrific floods that have affected so many. Aside from the fact that we can no longer access so much of the province, due to washed out roads, we are safe.

 

 

But, if one makes the mistake of following the news of the world and reads of the floods in Sicily, the vicious pandemic counts in Europe, the scorpion plague in Egypt, the changed climate that is trashing every corner of the earth…well, really, at some point, it is simply better to crawl back to bed.

Some hours/moments, I can be completely fine. This, I tell myself, is the way it is now. Accept and allow it to just ‘be’. I’m healthy and unlike so many citizens in developing nations, who are begging for vaccines, I have had my shots. If any other problems pop up, I have access to great medical care. And look, each day  I wake up in a solid home, under a warm duvet, safe and cozy. Every week, we make a list and can buy pretty much any type of groceries we want. Plus, we are living in an area with lots of outdoor options to help me stay healthy and mostly sane.

‘So, Colleen,” I say, “Buck up.  You are very lucky.”

This little pep talk doesn’t always work.

I don’t know about you, but even my immense gratitude for my lucky life, doesn’t quite counter the despair I feel for so much of the world. How does one begin to offset the emotional weight of all our planetary problems?

For me, there is only one solution. It’s a baby-step kind of plan and it certainly isn’t original.

Still, here it is:  Be of service.

That’s it.

Pick something/anything that needs doing that you can possibly do and then do it. So, today I signed up to volunteer at the Food Recovery. It’s tangible and real. It’s within reach. It’s in my community and it’s something that adds to the goodness in our immediate world. I haven’t even done my shift and I already feel better.

Maybe volunteering isn’t your thing. That’s fine. I think it’s just deciding to bring some positivity into the world that matters. Each good action is a way to counter not only our personal despair but also helps tip the world’s scales to contain more positivity.

So, express gratitude to the clerk at the store. Be kind to everyone you meet. Meet someone for coffee. Bring them a treat. Bake some cookies and deliver them to someone. Donate to flood relief or any other charity that you feel strongly about.

Make art, play music, sing or dance…because darlings, if we are more joyful, we become a blessing to our planet.

And isn’t that better than whinging and whining and spreading misery?

That my friends, is the positivity project that I’ve taken on for myself. I’d love to hear anyone else’s suggestions.

I think we can all learn from Gurdeep Pandher of the Yukon. He has danced his way into so many hearts, including mine.  His message of positivity is inspiring.

Let’s all channel a little Gurdeep shall we?