Ready?
There's a moment in the morning where I'm a blank slate — not a thought in my head. And I don't want to fill it with another violent headline. You see, we become obsessed with reading every little detail about the senseless acts of violence. There's so much bad; there's so much injustice. It can just feel insurmountable. That's no way to live. It's time for a change.
Every day since third grade, before I ran off to the bus, my mom would tell me to choose joy. And that's exactly what we need to bring back the color to this bleached-out landscape. What if we all choose joy? Paint the world with color. It can't undo the senseless acts of violence, but it will make a difference.
Choosing joy doesn't mean we ignore the problem. It means we attack it with a positive approach. I can look up from my daily routine and see the joy around me. I can look for the positive and bring back the color to my life. We can bring back the color and paint the world. Now this isn't a band-aid that can be applied to fix everything overnight, but it can change your world that you live in and change the world of the people around you.
Painting the world isn't a solo mission. It takes a team, but you, as an individual on this wonderful planet, can start at home and let the color spill from one person to the next, to the next until we create this incredible ever-changing masterpiece. And I think that it's so cool that every day and everyone can contribute something new.
You can add color back to this landscape. You can choose joy. You can let it spread by sharing a kind word or making meaningful actions. And I can hope that it'll spread to everyone it touches, that those who experience an act of joy will pass it on. And it's hard. But when you have a positive impact on others, you can hope they return the favor when you need it most.
So, I wanna challenge you to smile and nod and acknowledge the people you pass on the street, to give your waiter a slightly above average tip. Next time you say to yourself or your friends " Hey, I like that person's sweater" . —— tell them. Don't keep the positivity to yourself. Share it. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Open the door for strangers. High five to the guy next you. Buy him a drink. The next time someone cusses you out on the street, don't even look back.
Tell the people in your life you love them. Ask your friends how they're doing and listen to their answers. If you see someone struggling, help them. If you see someone having a great day, rejoice with them because they are choosing joy. All these different shades of red, blue, and green make life more exciting.
They say that hate breeds hate, but why can't love ignite love, joy increase joy? I say, let's make kindness go viral. Choose joy, and let the color spread as we paint ourselves a new world.
