See that beautiful site! Yes, that's the one that they are bragging about on those taunting commercials and I just saw it for about the jillionith time this weekend. "Oh, how I wish you were here..." followed by visions of happy people casually walking amongst the swaying palms and pristine beach scenes. I really don't think they are playing fair. If they want me to be there so much, I think they need to send me a ticket! It would be a lovely excursion, especially now since the oil is dispersing somewhat and the beaches are becoming pretty again. However, I can't be there, so raspberries to you, at least for now, anyway! It is ghastly today. 97 in the shade and those stupid heat indexes again. But that's okay, because I'm perched in my fave new place, the recliner with remote in one hand, computer on my lap and cell phone on the side table. Starting to feel a smidge more like a human being today and at this point, awfully glad, I'm inside and not out. I think I'm beginning to understand the reasoning behind the 72 hours of rest after my ordeal Friday.
In a tv weekend filled with stories of Chelsea's wedding, crazy weather, a robber that calls the restaurant and complains about how much money he didn't get, back to school commercials, and tales of yet another round of foreclosure sales this Tuesday, you might think that there is nothing to really be that excited about. I tend to think that the "news" or lack there of is something that we have learned to digest with a grain of salt. Unfortunately, the good stuff, the positive stories, don't always peak our interests and our brains tend to tune them out. That's sad, really, really sad. So, I took it upon myself to find a "good news" story that would leave my talking about it and thinking about it beyond the time it took me to find it. I have challenged myself and you as my readers, to overcome the abundance of "bad" news with equal amounts of the good stuff. I even found a website called Good News Now, www.gnn.com, check it out! That is where I found something so wonderful, that I'm just sitting here saying "wow".
Some of the stories are not earth shattering, but some of them make you really think. One in particular this weekend, is about a nine year old that stocked the shelves of a food pantry with the harvest from her garden. It all started with a 40 pound cabbage and a young lady, now 12 years old, that now manages and harvests from 6 gardens that are part of a non profit organization that she started. That's a good news story! Amazing young lady, but her story doesn't stop with that 40 pound cabbage. She wrote a children's book called "Katie's Cabbage", organizes other food drives and is even having a contest for other kids to become philanthropic gardeners. The prize - a grant to start their own garden plot. How cool is that!
Folks, this is the good stuff, and it doesn't get any better than this sweet little girl. She is the spirit of giving, the hope of the future and a beautiful soul that we all need to look at and admire. At age 12, she's already started soup kitchens, community gardens, written a book, published a website and challenged thousands and thousands of people to "grow for the greater good". Isn't that what it's all about? We need to all be "Katies".
I don't know about you, but I tolerate the local and national news. I watch bare minimum, just enough to know what roads to avoid and whether or not I can expect cataclysmic weather events that may or may not affect my comings and goings for the next few days.
Our world is a mess, and shame on us, but we let it happen, and even joined the parade on a lot of it. But amidst the really bad stuff, it's nice to know that somewhere out there, there is a little girl with a big dream about making the world a better place, feeding hungry children and helping others to do the same. Guess what, she is succeeding! Way to go, Katie!
Mississippi Gulf Coast, I would love to come visit, but now is not the time. Palm trees and sandy beaches, local seafood shacks on piers extending out into the Gulf of Mexico, yep, nice dream, and maybe someday, we will head down your way. But right now, I wish I could be in Summerville, South Carolina talking to an amazing almost 12 year old young lady about her dreams for a garden for the greater good in all 50 states. For her, it all started with a cabbage seedling.
I thought you might enjoy her story. It's wonderful, so here is a link to her website. Enjoy reading. It's nice to have a little of that "good news" to focus on when you've had all you can stand of the bad stuff. Happy reading!
http://www.katieskrops.com/
Inspired and smiling,
Me
