Seeing the Good

Seeing the good in myself and others takes practice. I can tell I’m feeling good inside when I can see good things around me. On my most depressed days, I could see nothing good; not in myself, not in others, and not in the world. When I practice centering myself on my heart and in my breathing, I can create a feeling of peace, and open my eyes to see the good that’s in my life and in the world. 

What about when there are so many difficult situations on our planet? Even when I am at my most peaceful, I still see these. The state of our environment is one aspect of our world that I’ve been consumed with thinking about and worrying about. I know our earth is in need of so much loving care, and that many species are going extinct. I have spent so much time reading about it that even when I look at the beautiful trees in my neighborhood, I have started thinking, “oh, those trees are beautiful,  but the earth is suffering so much.” I realized this week that I’ve been doing this, and have resolved to just see the good and appreciate it for what it is. 

Now, when I look at the trees and birds in our neighborhood, I am working on noticing their beauty with no qualifiers: the trees are beautiful, the birds are lovely. I am grateful for them. I am not denying the work that still needs to be done for our planet, but I am giving myself space to appreciate beauty when I see it, and to be grateful for it as is.

I’ve also begun practicing reading several “Good News” websites like www.dailygood.org and www.goodnewsnetwork.org to allow myself time to see that there are many good things happening in our world. I still read the “regular” news, but I try to balance it with reading news that shares the positive stories as well. There are many beautiful things happening every day! Even though there are many things that need fixing in our world, I truly don’t believe things get fixed by feeling depressed. Things get fixed when we have hope for the future.

I am wishing for you to see the good in your life and in the world, and where you can’t see it, to begin creating it. 

All my love.