Just Stop For a Minute and Smile

This entry is a little more poignant.

It's something that I think people lose sight of - especially in today's culture.

I was at the local movie theatre a little while ago, and the way the concession stand is set up, it's very easy for people to potentially walk in, grab their candy, popcorn and soda and walk out without paying a cent. The friend I was with made a comment about how surprising it was that more people don't do just that. I looked at the line of people with their snack items in front of me, and thought about it. It was surprising.

Looking at recent events in our society, it's surprising that anarchists haven't totally wiped out this society we call our "home." Thinking about tragedies like the Newtown Massacre, Virginia Tech, 9/11, the Auburn movie theatre tragedy as well as other less mainstream events like two people being pushed in front of trains in New York City within a month - both of which were classified as hate crimes.

All of these horrific events are just that - horrific. Tragic. And a plethora of other negative adjectives.

BUT! That line of people waiting to pay for their snacks reminded me that there IS hope. They reminded me that as bad as things get, people aren't always a disappointment. That as many bad people as there are in this world, there are more good people. There are always people willing to do what is right.

That thought - in and of itself - put a smile on my face. Which ties in to the title of this particular entry. The title is from the song "Price Tag" by Jessie J. "Just stop for a minute and smile." The next time nothing seems to be going right in the world, and the negative feels overwhelming, do just that. Stop and smile.

Life is beautiful. Sometimes, we just need reminding.