These days it’s easy to either become completely engulfed in the bad news of the world and feel hopeless. It’s also easy to just crawl into a hole and pretend nothing is happening.
I don’t recommend either of those approaches. I think you need a balance of staying informed, but you also need to disengage and remind yourself about all the good things around you. That is extremely difficult to do! So as of what I hope is a helpful example, I’m sharing 5 things that made mw smile this past week.
#1 Waseca High School Cheer had a contest to find a hidden image of a hula girl in a social media post. The photo they used was of my beautiful niece Ava! I didn’t find the hula girl but I didn’t care.
#2 I went to Galaxycon Des Moines and met a couple really nice actors I’ve been fans of for a long time – Brian O’Halloran from many Kevin Smith movies (and season 3 of the TV show The Floor), and Brent Spiner, best known as Data on Star Trek Next Generation. I’ve been to many autograph/ con events in the past, and I’ve usually had good experiences. Most stars seem to genuinely want to be there and enjoy meeting fans even though they are getting paid to be there. I was thrilled that both of the people I wanted to meet were amazing!
#3 We got an update on the garbage can kitten! He is doing great in his new home and has become besties with his new doggie brother. Once again, Pat went above and beyond in finding a great home for a kitten in need. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can read about it here https://beckypalmer.me/?p=5365
#4 The NFL season has started! Even though my Dolphins look craptastic I’m just so happy that football is back. My favorite season is Football.
#5 Last, but certainly not least, I got a couple unexpected compliments about my work. I know that the people who work closest with me every day know what I’m about. I am so pleased that others can see how hard and work and how much I care about my work too.
I encourage each and every one of you to go through this exercise. At first blush 5 things for a week may seem like a lot but that’s less than one a day. Surprise yourself with all the goodness around you!