Happy News in a Sea of Awful

One thing I enjoy about not having to go to work in the morning is that I have time to eat my breakfast and watch the Today Show. I like the Today Show because it gives me the news, weather, and also a talk show atmosphere. I grew up watching the Today Show in the morning with my mom, and though many of the anchors have changed, they're still a fun crew to watch. Some of the stories they have covered lately have been pretty great, and today they shared two that really made me happy.

The first was a story about a Dairy Queen worker who stood up for a blind customer. The customer had dropped a twenty dollar bill, and another customer picked it up to keep it for her own. The worker asked the woman to give it back to the man or she could leave. She refused to give it back, left the store, and then the worker gave the blind customer twenty dollars out of his own pocket. It makes me happy to hear that there are people in our society that want to right the wrong-doing of others, even when it means that they give up something of their own.

The second story that struck me was about a camp called "Camp BroaderWay" put on by Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs. If you don't know who they are, you can easily google them, but they are a married couple that have both had roles in Broadway productions, among other endeavors. The goal of the camp is to give girls from urban communities a place to embrace self-expression and creativity through art-centered activities. The camp works on building self-esteem and other qualities that will help the girls achieve their goals and go after their dreams. The girls get to come back each summer for 4 years, which also allows the older girls to take on greater leadership and mentoring with the younger campers. I love this idea and it makes me happy to see people with awesome talents sharing them with people that can truly benefit.

It's nice to hear news that is uplifting and happy, especially with all of the terrible events that are reported daily in our world. Along with those uplifting stories this morning, I heard about the shooting at a park in Chicago, where 13 were shot, including a 3 year old child. The news outlets are reporting that it was gang-related, which does not surprise me in the least. Thirteen people seemed like a lot, but then I read an article that said that there were eighteen gunshot victims within four hours across the city yesterday. It's really unfortunate that people are shot all over the country and it has gotten to the point where it's no surprise anymore.

I find it hard to understand why people have to resort to shooting others, or violence in general, in order to solve their problems. Granted, my life is a lot different than many of the people that commit these crimes, so maybe I'd think differently if I had their problems...In any case, I think it's something that needs to be stopped, but until our country's government can become a cohesive force to solve problems, I doubt we'll make much progress in this area. In any case, it's stories like Camp BroaderWay that make me realize that there are people in our society trying to help people create better lives for themselves, and these are causes that we all need to support.

Have a great day!

-Ashley

 WWh