On this day; Thursday the 12^th of May, in the year 2016 there is a lot going on all over the planet.

There are many eyes on the absurdity of the impending American Elections. It is a sad and severe symptom of mind numbing reality television; eagerly spoon feeding fear to the population here in the States. The American media and political system appears to be very ill indeed. It is hard for the rest of the world to watch.

I still think this might be one of the biggest trolls ever to take place in the modern world. Have you stopped to think what is happening around the globe while we’re distracted watching this train wreck play out? The mind boggles.

Meanwhile people and companies are opening their hearts and changing their policies to help people and pets that have been displaced in massive forest fires in the province of Alberta, where I was born.

And across the ocean in England a woman named Nicola Thorp had the guts to ask: “How exactly does the size of heel on my shoe affect my job performance?” and she was unceremoniously sent away. Her plight has gone absolutely viral, which pleases me immensely.

Today is also bike to work day here in the Bay area where I am currently. I think that’s pretty fabulous. Bikes are zero carbon and people who ride them are obviously, very sexy and cool.

There is plenty more going on, from the climate crisis, to medical and scientific breakthroughs. People are doing their thing and living their lives. Ups, downs and even in between things are happening all over the planet every single moment, even while we sleep.

And guess WHAT.

We are all inextricably linked in this life journey.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had life changing and uplifting conversations with new and old friends.

I have met strangers whose kindness, warmth, and hope for the future has fed my soul. They have touched my heart in a way I cannot find the words to accurately impart.

The thing that everyone agrees on is that there is Good here on this planet and in our lives. Good like friends, family, pets, nature, food, laughter, truth, hope, and Love.

And of course it is almost universally accepted that making mistakes and learning is an excellent thing, but making the same mistakes over and over is not so great.

I’ve heard stories of people living their passion, sometimes at the expense of financial security, but the joy and peace you see surrounding someone who has the courage to follow their dreams is pretty inspiring.

I’ve had a lot of strangers who say or do something that you totally needed to hear or see, and that small act can change the whole day, perhaps an entire life.

People live through amazing things, and are resilient. Then they find and teach people like me about priorities, hope, kindness and forgiveness in a way that only someone who has faced tragedy could ever do.

And one of my personal favourite good bits; is having a husband who knows everything about me, and Loves me anyway. Also friends I drive batty, but they take the good with the bad and real talk to you when you need to hear it.

I’ve also felt extremely blessed and happy seeing the kids online, and knowing that they are safe and healthy and all doing great in the care of my family and our dear friend Lou.

I’ve also really enjoyed letting go of things that are too heavy, and cherishing things that ought to be cherished with a bit extra vim and vigor these days.

It is also wonderful to be engaged in an intelligent conversation, and disagree with someone quite actively, and still honestly and openly respect their informed opinion. If we all agreed all the time, nothing would change. Basic ignorance, hate or fear mongering is not something I can tolerate or accept of course. I’ve overheard or witnessed some of that on this journey, and it has made me very sad.

On the other hand, I’ve noticed some incidents of people standing up for another human being when they need (and deserve) defending. That’s a fairly beautiful thing to witness when it happens. I think it is happening more and more as we get braver, smarter and kinder as individuals and collectively.

I am always tickled and uplifted when I get to hang out daily with other people wanting to work together to clean up our beautiful planet. What a true honour to know such wonderful and engaged people.

There’s a lot of good bits if you’re looking for them.

So here’s what I am trying to say:

You have such incredible power. You will do AMAZING things with that power, and the world WILL get better and better because of the decisions YOU make.

YOU ARE the good bits. Even your demons and your darkness make you a deeper, richer and hopefully more tolerant human. So Love enough to make good decisions, and your power will grow and grow.

Okay, you may be rolling your eyes at this point and thinking: “bold claims!” But I can back this up.

I have met thousands and thousands of people in my life. In my honest experience, there is good in almost every single one of them. EVEN those who I do not care for have their role to play in my journey and yours. Even mean people are not impervious to good, and if you kill them with kindness they can become the biggest advocates for tolerance.

You have the power to stand up for what you believe in. It is super scary sometimes, but you have every reason and right to decide what is good and just, and follow that path. And you absolutely have the power to choose Love and respect over fear, ignorance or hatred.

So, get out there and LOVE the stuffing out of your neighbour. Get out there and fight ignorance with truth, fight hatred with Love, fight fear with hope, and fight the urge to give up on yourself or this planet!

We are going to be absolutely fine. We really are.