Monday 29 December 2008

"Always look on the bright side!"

I pick up the paper over breakfast. The headline speaks of the utter horror in Gaza - it has gone on for years - it is appalling. Page 2 tells me that there are five fatal stabbings a week. Page 3 speaks of a Siberian blast of cold air which is going to envelop the British Isles for the next fortnight. Fold the paper and put it to one side and drink my coffee. Then make a pre-New Year resolution. Begone all this reminiscing, feeling sad, looking for bad news. The holly has shrivelled, the cards keep falling over, the best choccies have gone from the box, I cannot face another turkey sandwich................ but I am henceforth going to be the bearer of good news only.

Trawl the paper for good news and find three cheering stories:-

GP Taylor, the former vicar who retired to write the very popular "Shadowmancer" has come up with a new book for reluctant readers. It is called "The Doppleganger Chronicles" and has colourful graphics in a black border to suggest a computer screen, cartoon strips, text, illustrations - everything that we might see on the internet. He says, quite rightly, that today's children are really the first generation of readers who have been brought up on the computer. If they won't read "ordinary" books then we have to give them something else. I am sure it is significant that over 200 children queued to buy his first book in this format.

The white-clawed crayfish, native to the rivers of the Yorkshire Dales has been declining in numbers, forced out by the bigger, more agressive American signal crayfish. Now it has been bred in captivity with a sixty percent survival rate and is being introduced back into the rivers around us here.

So here we have two stories which give us somebody adapting to the modern age rather than sitting complaining that "things ain't what they used to be." And something/somebody struggling for survival against the odds.

Now to my third story which begins in such an awful way and yet has a happy ending. Some unspeakable person put his dog in a suitcase and threw the suitcase into the river (my immediate thought is that someone should do the same to him). Against all the odds the dog, a four-year old mongrel bitch, tore its way out, scrambled on to the river bank and was rescued, fed, dried, cuddled and given a warm home. There are still good, warm-hearted people in the world - they are in the vast majority -and they give us hope as we go into another year.

Happy New Year to you all.

16 comments:

Debra (a/k/a Doris, Mimi) said...

I think the same fate (or worse) should befall the jerk who would do that to a living creature. My heart is warmed by the daring survival of the brave little canine. Kudos to her that she is now safe with a loving family!

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Thank you Weaver. It is uplifting to hear good news, and as you say, there are lots of warm-hearted people out there.

One of my friends (not a giraffe!) met G P Taylor a couple of weeks ago and said he was really inspiring and had a wonderful sense of humour. He sold his motorbike initially to pay to have his first book published himself - so what a great story of sticking your neck out to achieve your dreams!

I like to focus on positivity too - I think it encourages people to carry on against the odds.

Unknown said...

Thak goodness for a cheery ending: what a dreadful thing to do to a dog!

That book sounds interesting, I'm always on the look out for unusual books for the kids - but they're great readers anyway...

Woman in a Window said...

May we all find our way out of suitcases! What a perverse and wonderful way to look at life.

I think you're right! It's choice that drives us. I'm not sure why we waste so much time in the gloom.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Agree Debra.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for the comment Raph. You talk good giraffe-sense (same as horse-sense but higher!)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Isn't it good when our children and grandchildren are great readers. Barbara?

The Weaver of Grass said...

Woman in a window - I am makinga conscious effort for 2009 to not concentrate on gloom.

Reader Wil said...

I love the happy stories you found in the paper! It is a sad thing mostly to read. And the problem is that we are absolutely helpless. I'll try to find happy stories in the newspaper in the new year.
You write very well! Have a great New Year's Eve!

Crafty Green Poet said...

its always good to find the heartening stories amongst all the disasters.... thanks for sharing these ones

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Pat, for a little light at the end of a grim year for the world.

Elizabeth said...

I'm totally with you on this.
Sadly, the world has always has awful things happen.
We are deluged by information about things we cannot remedy - somehow we have to search for a sort of balance between being crippled with sorrow and pretending nothing is going on.
An endless struggle - but one thing is certain things are no worse now than they ever were - in someways probably better.
All best wishes for the new year.

Janice Thomson said...

It's sad isn't it the bad news sells - and you never see good news on the front pages unless it is something spectacular like a Royal wedding or something of that nature. Thanks for sharing good news!

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I look at Edward and smile as I read that last good story. And I think about the person who would do such a thing to a dog, and I hope such a thing as Karma exists.

And I do so agree that we need to make a concentrated effort sometimes to find the good wherever we can!

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

It has apparently been shown that people with mild to moderate depression improve if they refrain from watching and listening to news items. You can see why, can't you, as the other Elizabeth says, too much that you can nothing about and yet bad for the soul not to empathise to at least some degree with the suffering you see.
I think I might have a news free couple of days just now.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks to you all. My trawl for "happy" things seems to have cheered you all up for New Year. My resolution is continue along the same lines.