TOP STORIES ABOUT REACH OUT
By Adriana Medrano
2020 was a challenging year to say the least. The entire world experienced a pandemic that forever changed our lives. What started as a 2 week confinement at home turned into a year of an endless quarantine that forced companies and schools to rethink how to continue operating.
Fortunately many of us were lucky enough to get the option of doing home office, or moving to online education, and I say fortunately because even though this may not be the best way of going about learning, it’s been a great way of moving forward instead of having to pause indefinitely while the pandemic lingers in our lives.
Adults and children have been affected in many different ways. I listen to stories about the parents who have to work while their children are taking classes. Having to adapt to nowworking from home and studyingin improvised spaces. Then there’s the situation with technological problems. The frustration of the internet failing, losing the connection, kids having trouble following all the platforms they need to interact with. Teens feeling trapped because they can’t go out, they can’t hang out with their friends.
And in today’s world when all we hear is bad news, all we want is some positive reassurance that this will end soon and that we’ll resume our lives as we know them, but until that time we have to think on which side we want to be in. The pessimist side where we don’t do anything because we refuse to change, or the optimistic side where webecome part of the resilient people who have had the incredible insight to make great things out of a very bad situation?
I enjoy watching the news show I used to watch when I was living in Chicago, and the reason is not to fill my head with more bad news, but to watch their section called “Inspiring America”. Here, I have come across wonderful inspiring acts of kindness that remind me time and time again that no matter how bad things are, there’s always a ray of hope, there’s always a way out.
Take for instance Jim McIngvale who goes by Mattress Mack. He owns furniture stores in the Houston area, but when disaster hit their city he didn’t hesitate to open his stores turned shelters to give a helping hand to those in need.
https://www.facebook.com/CBSBoston/videos/251989573185803/
Or take a look at the Covid groups formed by people volunteering to help senior citizens register online to get their vaccine.
Or get inspired by a teenager who decided to honor all the lives lost to Covid by stitching a beautiful quilt.
We have the power to overcome tough times, not only bythinking about ourselves, but by finding a way to help others who have been less fortunate in these trying times. Remember that some people have open personalities that allow them to share how they feel and therefore handle things better. Instead, take a closer look at those who can’t express their feelings, those who quietly experience their stress and hopelessness.
We can be the next inspiring person that reaches out and saves the day. If we want a better world, we need to be active participants that get involved and choose to help.