Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 18, 2012 - 08:19am PT
Yes, the media rams the disaster and evil down our throats. And yes, there is plenty of disaster and evil.
But out of 7 billion souls on this Earth, the vast majority are kind loving people.
*Rescuers in the storm
*Rescuers on the walls
*Mothers caring for disabled children
*Teachers in special ed. classes
*Those who care for the dying
*Nurses giving their all
*Artists creating beauty
*Athletes pushing limits
*Scientists expanding what is possible
*Monks and Nuns comforting those in need
You get the idea. Today I choose to fight for awesomeness with my little electrons. Post any and all of it you want.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's a catch all thread, as long as it's positive!!
I'm sure this vid has been posted here before, but it's so RAD and it's what inspired me this morning....
I live in a backwater town where I encounter a decent amount of ignorance, it's mostly personified as hate. It drives me up a wall to witness so much stupidity and hate.
But then, I randomly meet someone who reaffirms my hope that we aren't all stupid or ignorant.
Radness abounds, you just have to have the right filter on at times to find it.
It was way harder when it was just game trails. Its still a bit of an ass beater. Trail is new, less than a year old, this will be its first full on winter.
Its as steep as it looks, btw. You know how I am about mud mountains :-)
Its holding well, actually
Credit: Dingus Milktoast
Cut by a trail crew very experienced in California interior coast ranges.
Its on public land but not known to public. You can't get there from here.
A glorious Folio edition of the children's classic, with enchanting illustrations by Charles van Sandwyk
If you want to know about the wide world, here's one way. This is the best currently available for giving.
HIGH MARKS FOR THIS EDITION.
When Mole is drawn out of his underground abode ('Hang spring-cleaning!') by the imperious call of Spring, he is fascinated by the world above his home. The first animal he meets is lively Ratty, who introduces him to the beauties of the river and the joys of 'simply messing about in boats'. Mr Toad, irrepressible aristocrat and creature of crazes, shatters this rural calm with his discovery of the automobile. 'Villages skipped, towns and cities jumped - always somebody else's horizon! Oh, bliss! Oh, poop-poop!' Soon he is risking life and limb indulging his new-found passion, experiencing brushes with the law and landing himself in prison, much to the concern of his friends. Even stern Badger cannot control Toad's lunatic enthusiasms and wild antics, until they are all faced with a tremendous battle against the scheming stoats and wheedling weasels that have taken over Toad Hall. Can the four friends win against the frightening denizens of the Wild Wood? And does our irresponsible hero really become 'an altered Toad'?
The Wind in the Willows is about many things - the changing seasons, the beauty and fragility of nature, the perils of the open road and the creeping tide of suburbia - but it is the glorious adventures of Toad, Mole, Ratty and Badger that have enchanted generations of children and their parents for nearly a century. The sheer familiarity of the characters has been a challenge to artists ever since, and Charles van Sandwyk has risen to it magnificently. His wonderful illustrations breathe new life into the much-loved heroes of Kenneth Grahame's classic, magically evoking the idyllic and occasionally dangerous world of wild wood and river bank.
The stunning illustrations in our edition evoke an idyllic world of river-bank adventures, threatened only by the 'poop-poop' of Toad's new motor car and the frightening denizens of the Wild Wood.
‘It combines a love of nature with a nostalgia for boats, caravans and old cars, and hints at a more innocent time. I've loved it since I was ten and never tired of it’
ALAN TITCHMARSH
//And we can make the world a better place.
Just show a little love in our hearts.//
We visited a friend who just had major surgery. My husband and her 15 year old son put up the Christmas tree while I entertained mom (kept her from having an anxiety attack about every aspect of the tree).
The plan was to take her and the kids to a Christmas variety show, but all the tickets were gone. She has no money as her ex-husband just won custody of the boys from her, and child support was a large component of the divorce. That's another sad story of no one believing anything was wrong with her - turns out she had a tumor that was causing the inability to talk much, difficulty breathing, sudden 50 pound weight loss. She called the theater the day of the show, and 5 tickets magically appeared as a donation to her. We took her and the boys to a fun, light Christmas show. It was the first time she really got out of bed since her surgery on Wednesday.
Brought them home and tucked them into bed. SHe slept in the next day while my husband and I fed the boys, made their lunches, and drove them to school. My husband went back and finished fixing the lights on the tree and gave her a massage (he's a massage therapist).
There is a steady stream of neighbors bringing food over and sending gift cards.
There is generrosity is this world. Most of them are not seeking to be on the front page of the paper. It was nice to be able to help someone out. I am sure more Santas will arrive so that her boys have a gift under her tree. To their credit, the boys are so excited to have a mom that can talk to them again. They are looking forward to skiing with her by spring. Santa's elves are looking for a few lift passes to make that happen.
"The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."—John Cage
I have been fortunate to live and travel to places far and wide. I have had many opportunities to see folks with little material wealth, lacking in other amenities we consider basic to survival, who live joyously and in contentment (I'm sure they have their ups and downs as well). What really impresses me is how giving and welcoming they are. I am forever indebted to these souls. They have inspired me.
We have many such souls right under our noses. Neebee is a superb example. Her means may be modest, but she finds myriad ways to give and very richly indeed!
Let us know!