Spread The Love

I have been staring at a blank New Post screen every day for over a week now. Forgive me, fellow bloggers, for my absence. I know I’ve said this before, but this time, it’s different. It’s not solely because life has been crazy busy, which it has, but I’ve always been able to schedule in some well needed blogging time. This time, I’ve just been at a loss for words. The shootings of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and the five Dallas officers reduced me to silence. I haven’t even attempted to watch the supporting videos, I know it’s cowardly, especially given the fact that the loved ones of those who were murdered are the ones who must bear the burden at the end of the day.

To be honest, I so badly wanted to respond to these incidents as soon as they occurred, but I didn’t know where to begin. I didn’t know what I could possibly add to the discussion that would do any good. I would offer my condolences, a word on gun laws and the stupidity of racism, but it all felt so empty to me. I turned away from social media altogether, including Word Press, which usually provides me a happy escape. Seeing our neighbours to the south in such a state of civil unrest pains me. When people lose trust in those who are supposed to protect and serve their nation, things turn really nasty, really fast. It’s no secret that cops fatally killing innocent black Americans has become an epidemic. And the retaliation on innocent cops as a reaction to these murders is equally troubling. I use the word epidemic because it truly is. People are angry, scared, helpless and fighting for their lives. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like to be a black American right now. A broken taillight or playing with a toy gun can turn into a fatal life sentence. The problem is racism. The problem is the lack of gun control. The problem is hate. The problem is ignorance.

I’ve been thinking of the problems hate breeds. It divides us all. We will live in fear of one another. These problems need to be addressed with solutions, with action. Love speaks louder than hate, so I’ve thought of an achievable plan for all of us:

Spread the love once a day, in some way.

I am challenging myself, and YOU, to begin actively spreading positivity and love to those who need it or deserve it.

Say hello or smile at passersby on the street to brighten someones day.

Pack an extra lunch and give it to someone who would go hungry otherwise.

Donate clothes and useful items to a local shelter rather than just tossing them.

Hold the door open for someone, or offer a helping hand to someone in need.

Whatever it is you do to make this world a better place, no matter how small it seems, it does matter. Positive action should cause a positive reaction. And while I’m afraid I can’t provide a solution to the bigger issues at hand here, what I can do is love louder, be more positive, and share that energy with those around me. Here is what I hope to do:

1. Do a good deed once a day, big or small actions.
2. Focus on the positives rather than the negatives in ALL aspects of my life.
3. Spread the love and positive energy to others.
4. Share the little things I did to spread the love in a weekly blog post.
5. Hopefully get other wonderful bloggers involved in the spread the love movement.

I’d love to hear what you do, want to do, or have done in the past to spread the love to those who need it. What are your hopes and goals for a brighter future? Either share in the comments or as a pingback to this post, add “SpreadTheLove” to your tags, and as a thank you I will share your blog and your goals to spread the love in my weekly posts!

 

Let us band together and silence hate.