I don’t know about you, but I find it really easy to succumb to negative news, to go down the “rabbit hole” of fear, sadness, or anger at things going on in society. You can read all kinds of posts about the negative effects of social media on mental health. It’s not a mystery. To top that off I live in an area that has had below freezing temperatures for a few weeks straight, so finding things to do is an extra challenge.
Recently though, I had a day where most of the news and highlights I found gave me a sense of optimism or even hope. Could it be?
I thought I would share a few of them with you here.
During the start of the pandemic, my friend Marcia introduced me to a page on Facebook called Spread The Love. (There are many of these I came to learn) but this group shows complete support for each other. They share feel-good stories and random asks of kindness that make your heart happy to be human. It’s where I saw the post pictured above.
Then, I got an email from the Autism Society about their Capital Connection Newsletter. Talk about inspiration. It’s amazing to learn about so many people working tirelessly to make a difference for people with special needs. For example, did you know that currently, disabled adult children (DAC) remain unmarried in order to receive Social Security benefits and Medicare and Medicaid? The Autism Society supports this long-overdue policy change. On January 13, Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced the Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act, which would eliminate this requirement. I had no idea this rule existed and I am so happy to hear that there are so many out there helping to make it right.
Finally, I saw this great news. (Note: it is not actually scheduled yet but the fact it is in the process shows tremendous progress.) There is a new television program that will be done completely in sign language. The host, Dan Cook, and the performers who are involved in the show are all deaf. The contestants aren’t deaf but learn sign language words throughout the game. Fingers crossed this makes it to production.
I hope that you are finding some feel-good stories in your life. Please share them with us anytime.
