With the news out of Aurora this morning it’s hard not to feel out of sorts. This especially after a morning I spent researching mass murder for a scene in a book and then next thing I know there’s this news rolling in about dead people at a movie theater and gunshots and hurt kids and suddenly it’s a whole lot of bad feelings. Feelings that go toxic, septic, pretty fast.
On the other side of it, I saw something yesterday that was making me feel pretty good: there’s a local food stand that popped up within walking distance of the house. Nice little covered wagon with produce and some homemade jam and fresh-baked bread. Nobody there — just a cash box. The prices are all cheap, y’know, you can grab more potatoes than you’d need for a whole week and it won’t cost you more than two bucks for that giant basket of potatoes. And the people who put this farm stand up, they have a sign that says, “If you’re down on hard times, just take what you need, we understand.”
Which is pretty great.
And it leads me to this, and this is something I said on Twitter and Facebook this morning:
We balance out the horrors of a day like this by willfully doing good for others.
So, hug your kids, give to a charity, rescue a puppy, something, anything.
Evil can’t be undone, but good can outshine it.
So, if you feel like it, post something below in the comments that’s good and nice in this world. Don’t talk about the shooting or other bad shit. Don’t politicize anything (today is not a real good day to defend the second amendment, or talk about naughty pop culture or liberal-conservative fol-de-rol). Just post something nice. A story. Charity. Something your kid said or did. Anything at all.
This not in service of forgetting tragedy or ignoring it, but rather, to remind ourselves that people aren’t all bad and that one aberration a species does not make.
If you’re up for it, of course.
T.J. Janneff says:
There’s a ladybug on the window right by my computer. It’s been crawling up the side of the windowframe for a long time. I wonder what it’s up to . . .
July 20, 2012 — 12:01 PM
LJCohen says:
Last night I sat in a cramped auditorium in our local community center to watch a group of teens perform Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia. These kids formed their own theatre company 3 summers ago. They work incredibly hard and bring their passion and their dedication to putting on shows for the community.
Seeing stuff like that helps balance out the ugliness, at least a little bit.
July 20, 2012 — 12:04 PM
Jeff Xilon says:
Like John I have recently reconnected with two of my best friends from my highschool days who I’ve only had sporadic contact with over the last decade. Now we’re in frequent contact and the intervening time hasn’t really mattered at all. They’re even beta reading my short stories and providing me with fantastic feedback and notes.
My birthday was on Monday and my wife and 4 year old son brought home an ice cream birthday cake for me. My son was so fantastically happy to show me the cake and sing me happy birthday and tell me it was all special just for me. His enthusiasm and love was an amazing gift.
The same day I received a CD in the mail from my mother full of photos and fascinating documents from my grandparents’ (who passed away some years ago) World War II experiences. The photos and scanned papers were beautiful and amazing pieces of my families history that I never even knew existed. They weren’t intended as a birthday present but I considered them to be and they bring a smile to my face.
July 20, 2012 — 12:12 PM
Nick Hurwitch says:
I never knew my biological father. Still don’t. But nearly 10 years after I was born, he had another child, a sister that was hidden away from me in a life that wasn’t mine. She battled through abandonment, the foster system and custody battles all before I even knew her name.
Last year, we found each other through the power of the Internet, and this week she is visiting me here in LA for the first time. I am her only blood relative, and she is my little sister. There’s not much better than that.
July 20, 2012 — 12:15 PM
terribleminds says:
@ Nick —
That is wild. How great that you’re meeting your long-lost sister.
All hail the Internet.
— c.
July 20, 2012 — 1:04 PM
Chris Wallace says:
So many amazing comments. I’ll add a couple.
I got into a grad school program that gets about two hundred applicants and accepts seven. I was one of the first seven chosen.
And, more awesome than that, my wife is pregnant with our second child. I asked my three year old daughter if she wanted a brother or a sister. She said, “Brother.” When I asked her why, she said, “Because Twilight Sparkle has a brother, and he is her friend.”
July 20, 2012 — 12:36 PM
terribleminds says:
@Chris W —
Holy shit. Congratulations on, y’know, both of those incredibly phenomenal things.
— c.
July 20, 2012 — 1:04 PM
Adam Gaylord says:
Like a lot of people who do what we do, I write in order to deal with things. This morning I wrote a little piece about the shooting, and past shootings, as a Colorado native. It’s not very optimistic but it’s what I needed to say.
http://adamsapple2day.blogspot.com/2012/07/another-colorado-mass-shooting.html
July 20, 2012 — 12:53 PM
Jen J. Danna says:
I saw a wonderful news story earlier this week. A wheel-chair bound boy went to see a Blake Shelton concert but was unable to see when everyone stood up as Blake started to perform. He became quite upset, but two total strangers came over and lifted him up to stand for the entire show, even carrying him to the front for a better view. At the end of the show, they melted away into the crowd, so no one knows who they are. What a wonderful act of kindness that will never be forgotten by that young man: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176489/Touching-video-unknown-men-lifting-disabled-boy-shoulders-music-concert-see.html
July 20, 2012 — 12:54 PM
Toni Rakestraw says:
A few years ago, my husband’s aortic valve was failing (he was born with a congenital defect). The doctors waited on the surgery, and every day he got grayer and grayer looking; he could hardly walk across the living room without needing to rest. The day he went into surgery, I was so frightened he wouldn’t make it. What would I do without him? We had 7 kids who wouldn’t know what to do without him. When the dr came out to tell me he was doing fine, it was the most wonderful relief I’d ever felt. Now, waking up to him every morning is an added blessing. He’s still here with us, another kidlet was added to the brood, and today, while he’s adjusting to even more things he can’t do like he used to, he never fails to add humor and love to the day. We are blessed. 🙂
July 20, 2012 — 12:57 PM
Jack Gardner says:
Today is my lovely sisters birthday. There have been times recently where we weren’t sure she was going to make it to her next one. So, That’s good.
Also, I did my orientation for a steady, full-time+ Day Job to take care of my family. Being un/underemployed has been hard on us. So there’s some happy. Now the time I was spending looking for work, or worrying about buying food can be spent writing.
July 20, 2012 — 1:00 PM
moseylissa says:
It’s my 21st anniversary today. I haven’t killed my husband yet and I’m looking forward to learning to love him even more. 🙂
Choosing to celebrate even though life is still tough for lots and lots and lots of people.
July 20, 2012 — 1:01 PM
Angelle (@CityofAngelle) says:
I don’t have much. But the sun is shining. I live in the place I love best in the world. My husband and two cats are fast asleep. I’m listening to rock n’ roll in headphones and writing about an art heist.
It’s a damn fine day.
July 20, 2012 — 1:05 PM
Shiloh Walker says:
A nice thing… okay. 🙂 My youngest makes me laugh, constantly. And she usually makes me want to pull out my hair, but that’s beside the point.
She’s terribly creative and was playing ‘restaurant’ the other night. I wasn’t paying much attention because for the first time, I had a chance to watch a movie with her dad.
The next morning, she had her ‘menu’ laying out and I looked at it. The first thing looked like… “Coconut Seared Eel.” Okay. I asked if that’s what it was.
She said, “No…. it’s coconut sea RIDDLE.”
I asked again, and yes, that’s what it was. She made Coconut Sea Riddle. Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to eat because I’m allergic to coconut (we keep to the rules even in this sort of imaginary game because she’s anal).
Then she tells me, “Don’t worry, Mom. I wanted you to eat it, too, so it’s not REAL coconut.”
So I got to eat some coconut sea riddle. (pretend)
(Don’t ask me what it is…I’d never be able to explain.) The baby bratlet might though.
July 20, 2012 — 1:06 PM
Shady says:
I dropped my mother-in-law off at the airport this morning after she’d spent about a week with us. On the way there, she said, “Thanks for making my daughter so happy.” Made my frickin day, you know?
July 20, 2012 — 1:07 PM
Kathleen Cassen Mickelson says:
This is one of the nicest posts I’ve seen today. Thank you for the reminder about balancing evil/good in the world. Today, I’m going to do the small act of giving rides to my daughter’s high school friends so they can all gather for the night and have fun with the RPG they’re all into. I do this every Friday – none of them have driver’s licenses yet. I’m convinced there’s not much that’s more important than sharing my time – and my car – with these kids.
July 20, 2012 — 1:10 PM
Margaret Werner says:
Just came back from the grocery store. Both the cashier and the bagger were so very friendly and and seemed so happy, my rushed shopping experience ended as a pleasure. FYI: The checker has severe arthritis, so her fingers are bent and misshapen, and the bagger is mentally challenged.
July 20, 2012 — 1:10 PM
Michelle says:
Random acts of adoration from my son. I’ll never get used to them, nor take them for granted. My husband and I adopted our son after an eight year struggle to become parents, and he has been the absolute joy of our lives. Now four, not a day goes by when he doesn’t throw his arms around me, unprompted, and say “I love you, Mommy.” It may sound like a small thing, but it’s everything to me.
July 20, 2012 — 1:11 PM
Leah Rhyne says:
This is the nicest thing I’ve seen all day. Thank you, Chuck, for setting it up.
I’ve had a weirdly good day, tempered by thoughts of the events in Aurora. But I’ll share the good parts of my day here:
1. I don’t work Fridays
2. My mother took my 4yo daughter to the beach. She sent me a picture of my little girl digging happily away in the sand, and I know they’re having an awesome time together.
3. They’ll be home any minute.
4. While enjoying my morning off, I went for a swim in the neighborhood pool. I found out I *can* swim far enough without taking a break that I should hopefully not drown during a biathalon (swim/run) next weekend.
5. I’ve had time to sit and edit for almost two hours now.
6. I got a check in the mail for $145 for overpayment at a recent doctor’s visit.
7. My daughter, husband, parents, brothers, in-laws…they’re all alive. They’re all healthy.
I don’t use this term lightly. Today, I feel utterly blessed. I hope you all do as well. And I hope everyone continues to share their good vibes.
July 20, 2012 — 1:13 PM
merlyn says:
today’s good things were donating to Kristin Bauer’s kickstarter program and finishing a piece of medieval style art that will be given away for free to a deserving person. My husband came home safe and is now cooking supper, being his wonderful loving self. Then I saw Chuck’s posts and came here and while It’s nothing big or exciting but these were good things today for me. Thanks Chuck. (btw I LOVED Blackbirds …just sayin’. )
July 20, 2012 — 1:14 PM
JD Brophy says:
My 19-year-old daughter ASKED if she could spend $4 on the new Bullet Proof Coffin issue while she’s at the mall shopping for school clothes. I mean, I know money’s tight, but it’s a comic book for a kid going to cartoon college (SVA) in a month. She makes me smile. Good thing she’s tight w $ since she’ll be broke in NYC.
July 20, 2012 — 1:18 PM
Brandi says:
My husband Jack (see above) got a FT job and now we can afford to get my oldest son for a week this summer. He’s special needs and lives with his dad in a larger city so he can get more inclusive education and do things like Special Olympics. We all (especially my younger son) miss the living crap out of him, and just knowing we can now afford gas and food to have him here, even if only for a week, is truly awesome.
July 20, 2012 — 1:19 PM
Anna Lewis says:
My mom told me that for my birthday this year (in about a month) she’s going to fund my entire registration at the first major writers conference I’ve ever gone to, in which I’m pitching my first novel in a couple of weeks. I told her it was too much, but she insisted. Her gesture is making me even more driven to make sure something good comes of this project, which has taken up years of what would have been perfectly good falconry time.
July 20, 2012 — 1:36 PM
David Z says:
My wife and I are 3 months away from meeting our new baby girl. If my daughter is half as photogenic as bdub, I will be pleased.
Also, my wife just signed her first book contract! Life is good.
July 20, 2012 — 1:36 PM
Neliza Drew says:
I thought about your farm stand comment when I was typing this, but didn’t get around to including it.
(I’m also glad Dan (& his daughter) found a non-evil company!)
http://nelizadrew.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/a-brave-new-economy/ (sharing, microfinancing, and people helping each other)
July 20, 2012 — 1:40 PM
Mieke Zamora-Mackay says:
When I got home yesterday, while chatting about my semi-emotional day with my 10-year old, she stood and announced, “You look like you need a hug, Mommy.” That hug brought me great comfort when I didn’t think I needed it.
Thanks for giving us this space. That story about the farm stand was heartwarming.
July 20, 2012 — 1:45 PM
manda(rific) says:
When we heard about what happened in Aurora, I was still awake. Very drunk. Laughing and having a good time.
This will sound awkward to some, but the reason I was having such a good time – bad news or not – was because one of my very best friends whom I’ve not seen much of in the past two years drove all the way up to Wisconsin from North Carolina to hang out. It was an impulsive decision on his part, and I’m so glad he made it.
As soon as the tweets showed up on my feed, I had but one thought: I am so glad that here and now I am safe with two of my favorite people in the world. I know we aren’t invincible, but the high you get from spending time with people who care about you is something you can’t take down easily, and I had missed that feeling. 🙂
July 20, 2012 — 1:47 PM
Kate Haggard says:
I haven’t read through all 80 comments, so this might already be posted. But I figured big bikers protecting little kids is just the right kind of heartwarming we all need right now:
http://www.azcentral.com/news/azliving/articles/2012/07/13/20120713bikers-against-child-abuse-make-abuse-victims-feel-safe.html?page=1#ixzz214xfChtS
July 20, 2012 — 1:52 PM
Katie Cunningham says:
I’ve been writing a book about making websites accessible for disabled people, and recently wrote a blog post about how people might do the same for video games.
I just got an email from someone who thanked me for making him feel less invisible.
July 20, 2012 — 1:54 PM
CC Denham says:
Oh, I have a few happy things, one of which is totally selfish, so I’ll start there – some time overnight, my first finished story ever, first for-sale story ever, broke 100 sales.
But the other awesome shit that’s keeping me going? This service puppy live-cam thing for Canine Warriors: http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/service-puppy-cam
Also, my own puppy, and getting the foot-thump from scritching her neck.
I mean, not that people aren’t awesome, too. But times like this, I feel like kids and animals are often the best therapy. That’s just me, tho.
July 20, 2012 — 1:59 PM
kindle-aholic says:
My youngest has had more than her share of health problems in her first couple months of life, but she’s feisty and after a rough start (NICU and surgeries) she’s doing better than the docs expected. This week was another check up and the words “everything looks good” couldn’t be said loud enough.
July 20, 2012 — 2:06 PM
Aurora says:
Having the first name Aurora made waking up and looking at Twitter especially bizarre for me this morning.
Fortunately, I myself am in good health and have a happy marriage and the day off today. When I don’t have the day off, one of the things I do is lead people through a theme park and generally help them to have a fun day. On my most recent tour, a couple of days ago, I was saying goodbye to the group of fourteen people (three or four families) that I had spent the day with. As always, I asked them if anyone needed anything else from me before I went away and left them on their own.
One of the children shouted, “A hug!” and suddenly I was being group-hugged by about five kids who had just met me, and each other, about six hours earlier.
July 20, 2012 — 2:23 PM
Jason says:
Last weekend, as I walked passed the small 5-gal aquarium I studiously ignore for the majority of my waking hours, some tiny motion caught my eye. One of our little Mollys had become a mother when I wasn’t paying attention, and 10 teensy little yellow fishes were trying desperately to hide from the other, bigger fish.
So as much as it pained my wallet, we bought a second aquarium for the brand new brood and Monday night I diligently netted and transferred a parcel of tiny fish to our fledgling nursery.
And in case you’re wondering, there’s an awesome kind of Zen peace to be found watching a handful baby fish swim about in their own space.
July 20, 2012 — 2:45 PM
Raleigh says:
Last night, there was a rainstorm in Nashville. We were all sitting around, having drinks, looking out the windows at the lightning.
And then, someone just went for it. And then another person did. And then I made a run for it.
And then half a dozen grown-ass adults were running down the streets of Nashville in the pouring rain, the ditches to the side of the road like rivers, and we dove into them, headfirst, in all our clothes.
July 20, 2012 — 2:46 PM
Farron says:
First off this article was amazing. And I so enjoyed reading everyone’s stories. However when I scrolled down to the reply section I literally thought for a moment, “I cannot find anything happy in this horrible day.” And the moment I clicked the “Comment” box, a bird sang right outside my window. Cliche, I know, but it was the only sound in my quiet room. And as down as things can seem, the birds still sing, the sun will still shine, and there is still beauty and joy to be found. We may have days that happiness is further beneath the surface than we are used to, but is anything worth finding for ever easy? People take advantage of the things they are used to having, but something worth working and searching for is more appreciated. And today, any happiness feels like a candle in a dark room. Hope everyone finds the beauty, love and joy in their own life today.
July 20, 2012 — 2:52 PM
Jtep says:
So my dad goes to pick up the mail every day. He’s retired and well, it’s a part of his routine. We live in a very small town where everyone more or less knows everyone else but sometimes, things will surprise you.
The other day dad went to go get the mail and there were some neighborhood kids playing by the post office, in their yard. They watched my dad go into the post office wearing his John Deer hat. One of them asks, “Hey, do you work for John Deer?” My dad responds with, “Well, no.” The kid apparently found that a satisfactory answer and went back to playing.
When my dad returned the next day to pick up the mail the same group of kids were playing and two of them, upon seeing my father get out of the car yelled, “Hello John!” Apparently, they’d put two and two together and got three.
My dad’s name is Paul.
It’s been weeks and he still hasn’t corrected them and comes home from the post office with a consistent smile on his face.
July 20, 2012 — 3:14 PM
Laura says:
Thanks for the reminder this morning.
Some friends of ours did go out and adopt a puppy this morning. And in the five hours they’ve owned it, it’s become best friends with our cat. When I left the house, they were nose-to-nose, kissing each other.
July 20, 2012 — 3:49 PM
Sheri Waddell says:
@Dan O’Shea – posted your daughter’s company to my FB, can’t support good companies enough
This is a great thing to do , thanks! As a former metro Denver dweller, this has hit hard. Luckily for me I had 2 good things happen on the heels of the bad news. My son made it safely back to KS, flew out of Denver this morning. And I got my acceptance letter to grad school – WooHoo! I’ve been spending the morning surfing the web for beautiful things to regain my own inner peace…. hope everyone else has a chance to regain some of their own in whatever way they can….
July 20, 2012 — 3:50 PM
Megan says:
I woke up early and went to hot yoga this morning, slightly hung over from drinking too much wine with my best girlfriends last night. I came home and read up on Colorado. Feeling very out of sorts, I took our 11-year-old golden retriever outside. I was pulling weeds in the flower bed, lost in my thoughts, and I looked up to see him stealing tomatoes and peppers out of the garden. That dog loves vegetables. He looked at me, stole one more tomato and ate it whole, and then ran to me and buried his head in my chest.
I couldn’t be mad. Red wine, yoga, and golden retrievers who eat tomatoes are awesome. And healing.
July 20, 2012 — 4:17 PM
J.M. Dow says:
Two good things happened to me lately.
I just got back from seeing The Dark Knight Rises. It was an amazing movie, my favorite of the year so far.. I was in tears by the end, and so was my wife.
Also, I got my wife to start reading BLACKBIRDS, and she likes it.
July 20, 2012 — 5:55 PM
Ryan Sayles says:
The five year-old is sounding out words, spelling them and doing basic math. The four year-old is overcoming his speech delay and trying to mimic his daddy in everything he does. The ten month-old is doing the stutter-stepping form of walking that all babies do when they’re figuring out their world. My wife is radiant and comforting in all things. And after looking down this long list of people posting good things, a group of folks who would never otherwise be connected, I’m grateful to Chuck for putting us together.
July 20, 2012 — 6:14 PM
Laura Libricz says:
I had a wonderful day with my 20-year-old daughter today. I’m house-sitting for a colleague and my daughter met me at Starbucks for a coffee, then we came back to the house-to-be-sitted (with a big TV and lots of DVDs), had a vegan dinner (I don’t want to eat animal stuff anymore, don’t ask me why, it just happened one day) and we watched DVDs all evening with each other. I would never had spent an evening with my parents at that age. I was already married, self-abusive and on my best way to divorce by then…
July 20, 2012 — 6:54 PM
cheryl says:
This is lovely, Chuck. I loved reading about your farm stand and all the terrific comments here. I’m grateful to be able to hear about all of these wonderful happenings, big and small. Thank you and everyone for revealing the miracles that happen every day. Truly awesome and inspiring.
July 20, 2012 — 7:48 PM
Betsy Dornbusch says:
Oh, and my friend’s daughter with leukemia? Got to come home from the hospital today! Yay!
July 20, 2012 — 8:46 PM
Jo Eberhardt says:
Every morning I get hug-tackled by my two sons. The eldest is 5 and the youngest is 18 months. They climb all over me, cuddle me, kiss me, and then start hugging and tickling each other.
No matter what else is happening in the world, there is nothing better than those first 10 minutes of the day.
July 20, 2012 — 9:42 PM
GrumbleBot says:
Today the Atheist and the Baptist Minister in our IT department acknowledged their appreciation and respect for one another and admitted to an actual friendship!
July 20, 2012 — 9:49 PM
J. M. says:
Dropped by my mom’s house this afternoon. We sat around for a couple hours just enjoying each other’s company, bouncing a little ball off the living room walls and watching the dog tear after it. She has this Shiba Inu pup who looks like a fox and pretty much charms everybody around. We just talked for a while, me and mom, serious things at first — the kids in Aurora, how tragic it is — and then about her work (she’s an ICU nurse) and some of the crazy funny things that sometimes happen and we laughed together about it. Felt good, to laugh a little.
July 20, 2012 — 9:58 PM
Deb Dorchak says:
Today I am happy to have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, a business I love, my two cats, a great roommate and of course, Chuck’s books to read. Thanks man!
July 20, 2012 — 10:02 PM
Gregory Lynn says:
One of our cats had to go to the vet today and was diagnosed with arthritic hips. This is not so good but a little pain meds and he’s back to the way he used to be for the first time in weeks.
July 20, 2012 — 10:17 PM
Adriana Ryan says:
We brought our foster dog home almost three weeks ago. He’s this giant lug of a guy, seven years old, and his family decided they didn’t have time for him anymore. We’ve decided to keep him.
July 20, 2012 — 10:55 PM
Melissa Thayer says:
On Evening Magazine tonight they showcased a story from the 17th July about a soap box derby in Issaquah, Washington. There were two drivers per car, one normally functioning child and the other a mentally or health challenged child. It was really beautiful to see the kids working together, driving these little cars with huge smiles on their faces. Simple. Goodness. Love.
Thanks for writing this, Chuck.
July 20, 2012 — 11:03 PM