What I have discovered during my years of avoiding the news is that you cannot hide from it. I only have to log on to Facebook to know what horrific things have happened in the world. If I choose to avoid Facebook, which I often do after I have learned the basic details of the current news story, I am confronted with the same stories over and over again when I go to work, the store, or anywhere outside of my home. I am quite envious of the few people in the world who honestly can avoid the news. For me, it hasn't been possible. Knowing this, I have decided the one thing I can do is make sure I don't watch or read the same story lines over and over again.
While I believe we need to care for others and try to make this world a better place, I don't believe that happens by rehashing the same story over and over again. I am a sensitive person by nature, but I honestly don't understand how people handle the news of so much bad going on day after day. For me, it gives me nightmares, which is one of the reasons I stopped watching the news. It also makes me lose hope in the world which is something I refuse to do.
Wednesday night and Thursday morning, my local town experienced a lot of rain which created flooding issues. My family and I were prevented from going to school and work yesterday due to our neighborhood roads being blocked off. Three miles from our home, in Lisle, IL, a state of emergency has been called. Cars are under water as well as homes destroyed. Am I watching some of the news coverage? You bet. This is my community. This is when and where I 100% need to know what is happening. This is the time for me to open up my heart and feel for others, to send healing thoughts, and to be a good citizen. I know that many bad things are happening in the world right now, but I can't absorb all of the bad. I can only concentrate on that right under my nose. For those of you that have a bigger heart than me and can absorb all that is happening in the world - hooray for you! I have learned my limits. I can only handle so much bad news and need to hear plenty of good.