It’s easy to find the good

This past Christmas, I experienced firsthand just how easy it is to find the good.

1. I came across one unexpected and beautiful oddity while out with the family.
2. I saw kindness in action in the local news.
3. I remembered a long-standing online tradition of sharing.

Keeping a goldfish warm

On Sunday evening, December 27, with the temp around -6 degrees Celsius (that’s 21 degrees Fahrenheit), I went with the family downtown to look at the Christmas lights and the light show projected on the Parliament Buildings. I wandered over to stand near the Centennial Flame (a fountain with a natural gas flame in its centre), and chatted briefly with a woman who was using the water to keep her fish warm. Yes, you read that right. She alternated between holding the fishbowl in the water and sheltering it under a blanket that was wrapped around her. She said the water was as warm as a baby’s backside. She then offered me a slice of pizza from the stack she’d ordered to share. She had at least five extra large boxes sitting beside her on the fountain’s edge. I felt privileged to witness her calm devotion to her pet fish and her generosity. I have many unanswered questions about her, but didn’t feel comfortable prying. Though I don’t know her name or her story, her serenity and kindness will stay with me for a long time.

Helping passengers board a bus through the snow

On December 29, Ottawa got almost a foot of snow. It finally looked like Christmas, hurray! Not so great for people who had to drive or take the bus, however. One OC Transpo bus driver made extra effort to show care and kindness for his passengers, stepping out onto snowbanks to help people safely onto the bus. The icing on the cake? He’ll get a commendation. Watch the video.

Encouraging people to share books

In April 2001, BookCrossing.com was launched to connect people through books. I love it for how it promotes sharing books. The idea of releasing a book into the wild for others to enjoy appeals to me. It’s a good and quirky thing that’s open to anyone, and it’s still going strong almost 16 years after it started. The internet is a lovely thing.

See? Finding the good is easy if we open our eyes to it. I challenge you to find some good and share it here.