Imagine if there was a newspaper that only reported on good things going on in the world. No recession depression. No murders or deaths. No robberies. Just “Oprah Starts 20th Charity” or “Vancouver Yoga Teachers Eion Finn and Insiya Rasiwala-Finn Report Record Yogathon Turnout”or “Off The Mat Into The World Heads to Cambodia for Kids“.

Here’s my thing: good things happen all the time, everywhere, every single day. But we don’t hear about them. Yup, I know, we need to be aware of threats to our health and safety. But we don’t need to consume only media that reports on these things.

I lieu of the recent reports on SkyTrain safety issues and more women and men in uniform patrolling the stations, I offer this:

On the SkyTrain the other day, I sat across from the “save for the elderly or disabled” seat. A Caucasian kid in his teens sat there, earphones in, hood pulled up, baggy jeans, big necklace: gangsta style. His friend stood near him, same clothes, same ‘tude, slightly beat-up looking.

An old (pardon the label, but he really was pretty wrinkled and frail) little Chinese man with a cane wavered onto the car.

Immediately, the standing guy elbowed his friend. “Ya gotta get up man.” Immediately, the friend did. They both stepped back. The little old man reached towards the folding seat as the train moved forward, and then he fell back. An Indian man dropped his book, reached out and held the little old man up. The two kids arranged the seat, and everyone guided the now grinning from ear-to-ear grandpa into it. “Sank you, sank you” he smiled.

“Thank you, thank you” I thought. This is life. This is our world. This happens every single day.

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