Is it possible to be worldly and happy?
Kind of a vague question, but let me explain. Prior to having my daughter, I remember talking with another girlfriend of mine about our other friends who had kids (we didn't at the time), and how those friends of ours didn't keep up with the news because they were too busy with their kids. We scoffed at such an idea!
“I mean how can you not know what's going on in the world and national news?” my pre-Mommy self asked. "I mean I just feel like I need to be aware of what's going on in society."
Well didn't I just sound so Ron Burgandy-important?! Quite the worldly woman. Now, however, as a mom, news consumption is something I struggle with every day.
Because it's my job,
I'm required to be aware of "local and beyond" events. I wake up, I scan news sites online, and I listen to news updates on my drive. The better part of my morning is spent on Twitter waiting for updates on stories. 99.9 percent of it is scary, disheartening, tragic, and depressing. So much of it makes you question goodness in humanity and our formerly trusted institutions. I understand that by virtue of something being news, it has to be a novelty of sorts. The stories of kidnappings and unspeakable things happening to children, animals, and unsuspecting good people are anomalies, but because that's what's there to read every day, it seeps into your subconscious.
But then there are the big issues...this country's future, this planet's future...because it's my daughter's future I'm thinking of. The more news I consume, the more dismal I feel. So how do I stay informed but feel bullish? I no longer question my previously mentioned mom-friends' desires to stay with their head in the sand when it comes to keeping up with headlines. Not clicking from one doom and gloom headline to the next is bliss. One way I try to combat that feeling is by curating knowledge here. Writing about ways that we can improve ourselves, our families and our communities helps. In the meantime, I've sort of created this split-persona: Informed-but-in-Fear and Happy-Head-in_the_Clouds. I turn off the former when I get home to play with my baby and I tell myself her future will be just fine because of all the amazing little people that can grow up and help turn this thing around. It's never too late.
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