In the aftermath of the horrific week we’ve had, including earthquakes in Japan and Mexico, and attacks in Beirut, Baghdad and Paris, it would be easy to focus on the negative, and assume the world is teetering on the brink.
Who knows? Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t – only time will tell, though if people carry through their messages of support from social media into the world around them then we could all be the change we want to see.
At times like these it’s important to appreciate the little things that make the world a less horrific place. After all, Eric Draven made the very good point that nothing is trivial, and lots of small things can add up to become something momentous indeed.
Here’s my list of ten things that make life a little more bearable.
- Babies, of any species, but particularly giraffes.
- The #NotInMyName hashtag.
- The muffled silence you get during snow fall.
- Those brief moments when shared smiles break the ice between strangers.
- The lovely man in the gift shop at the Paris Catacombs last year who offered me directions to make sure I could get where I needed to be.
- The maniacal giggles of toddlers.
- Someone remembering your favourite type of baked good from Starbucks – and making their own (superior) version for you.
- Making art.
- Sunrises – and realising Nature has a much better paintbox than you do.
- Individuals like Malala.
And finally…this fantastic little video of a daring escape.
Thanks for reminding us all about the good things in life, particularly the penguins, even after such atrocities.
Sometimes it’s all we have to cling on to!
Great list! I’m looking forward to the penguin video.
I used to live in a city I absolutely detested (long story), and during the time I was stuck there, I got into the habit of looking at the sky when I needed a lift. Even if the weather was bad, I could think, “they’re probably getting similar weather in [place I like better] now.” Or think about the stars. Or something.
It helped!
Oh that’s a lovely idea!
What a wonderful list. That’s really what we have left in this sad world, the small mementos of little wonderfully beautiful unimportant things.
Love watching pets videos on youtube, and my cats and dog. I also agree with the laugh of babies, nature, and art.
Animals are so spontaneous! Zooborns is one of my favourite blogs.
So many little things are wonderful, most especially the laughter of my niece and nephew, as they rough house with me and play hide and seek games and let me read them books.
What a lovely thing to prize 🙂
My dad was a British Eighth Army “desert rat” during WW2. When things got bad he used to look up at the moon and say to himself: “One day that big old moon will shine down on a better world”. And it did. At least for a while. It is our collective job to keep striving to make our world better.
Hopefully we’ll manage it one day.
Awesome list. The muffled silence snow brings especially in the middle of the night when no ones ruined the snow yet is like my fave sound ever. That is a cracking item on your list.
Toddler laughs
Shared smiles – just yes!
Baked good from Starbucks…. Something tells me there’s a story in this?!