What in the World . . .?

Many moons ago when I wrote a weekly newspaper column, I heard from many local organizations and readers. But there was never enough time for pursuing every cool new idea.

I vividly remember a long-retired friend saying, “It takes me two hours to get through the paper in the morning.” What? How can that possibly be, I wondered, galloping around with house, parenting, kids, dog . . . Well, now I get it. Yes, I still want the physical pages of the newspaper. How else do you bounce from one fascinating piece to the next, coming upon articles you’d have missed with online viewing?

This past summer, the LA Times has brought info about the pandas leaving the San Diego Zoo to head back to China or the remarkable Los Angeles Drama Club where kids from six to sixteen are digging into Shakespeare’s Henry IV—no auditions, learning to work as a team, learning lines and their meanings. Or how about the Rapid Response Network that quickly formed here in San Diego to help legal immigrants wearing leg bracelets on their way to their destinations get food, clothing, hygiene supplies, a place to sleep overnight, and support in navigating our bus stations or airports but had simply been left by authorities on the streets of the city.

With things so fractious these days, it makes sense to take time to breathe, remember the good guys, and perceive all the positive things going on around us.

Good news, positive news, was the goal back in the days of my Citizen Network column, and good, positive news will be the same with these posts. I’ll add links so you can more deeply explore topics that draw you in. Perhaps these intriguing websites will surprise you and help you stay grounded in upright, moral undertakings—events and organizations and ideas that can lead us to a path of “thoughty” interaction.

You’ll also find quotes from my mother, an eternal optimist. “It will all come out in the wash,” was a favorite. I didn’t understood back then that she was literally saying like dirty, stained clothes come clean in the laundry, but I got the more esoteric analogy: “Things really will be okay, despite the current mess.”

Longterm, I believe that’s true. Until then, each of us can decide whether to add to the chaos or take the high road of positive action. Maybe you have a link to share, a place to visit, news of some positive force in your neck of the woods. Let’s get together once in a while for tea and exploration.