Sending a bit o' positivity out into the universe

Earlier I was skimming through the gazillion pictures I've taken the last couple months with every intention of posting another photo-filled recap post of various summer adventures. Rest assured, that post (and more just like it!) will come soon but right now I instead feel the need to ramble.

As I was looking at a 'business' blog this afternoon, I noticed (and clicked on) a link to the guy's 'personal' blog. As I perused the posts, it became obvious that this man's political beliefs are very different than mine, which is fine. It actually ended up being a mostly non-political post that really bothered me. In his line of work, this professional works directly with young LDS couples and his post was a criticism of how 'selfishly' many of them make certain decisions. I won't get into the details of the ensuing 'debate' in the comment section (although we kept it remarkably civil) but his post left me really thinking about how much negativity is in the world and how much of it we produce and direct towards each other.

Life is already so hard and overwhelming and sad at times, why do we add to it? Instead of joining together online to censure and condemn people, why can't we come together to celebrate and uplift? (Sorry, I tried to think of another 'c' word there, but it's late and my alliteration is obviously suffering). Can't we use love and compassion to teach and impact? There is so much beauty and joy around us, why do we seek out the dark and judgmental? We're so quick to share feedback when it's negative or when we're dissatisfied, but what about when we had a good experience?

I fully admit to struggling with this myself. It often comes naturally to nag/criticize my poor, sweet husband but at times I have to work to remember to thank him or compliment him. Another example occurred while we were in Utah with Chuck's family; we ate at a restaurant and received excellent service. As we were leaving, Chuck's dad's debit card fell out of my pocket in the parking lot, unbeknownst to me. (I was in charge of paying at the counter since I could quickly rattle off all the grandchildren's ages for payment categorization). When we got back to the campground and I realized what had happened, I quickly called the restaurant. They found the card and held it for me while we drove back to get it. That night I decided that when we got home I would contact the manager and express my gratitude for the good service and help finding and returning the card to me. Good intention on my part, but have I actually followed through? Sadly, no. Would I have already contacted them if our service had been really, dreadfully horrible? Probably.

So, I'll take today's experience as a prompt to bump this to the top of my (really, really long) self-improvement task sheet: seek out the positive and pass it around. And in that spirit, allow me to share my new (and perhaps all-time) favorite youtube find, Jill and Kevin's wedding entrance dance. If you haven't heard the story, this couple departed from the traditional 'walk down the aisle' at their recent wedding and instead the entire wedding party danced to Chris Brown's 'Forever'. A few days later, Kevin uploaded the video to youtube to share with friends and family but instead it became a national phenomenon and has over 18 million views, mainly because of its infectious joy. Jill and Kevin could have left it at that, but instead they chose to use their instant fame and recognition to highlight and raise funds for a worthy cause. I can honestly say I've watched the video at least twenty times in the last two weeks, and the happiness it has brought me is definitely worth a few dollars' contribution.

Here's the website: http://www.jkweddingdance.com/ Enjoy!

(I usually tear up right when the bride appears - anyone else?)