For what it's worth

Nov. 7 - Today I am thankful for...

Human decency and compassion for others.

Every day there are terrible people doing terrible things. Like setting a puppy on fire and leaving it to die, reacting to election results with hate and disrespect, or any number of awful things. And it breaks my heart every time. I can't understand how people can be so horrible, or why they'd even want to be. (Whenever I bring this up to Hubby, he tells me that there's nothing to understand, or that it's just not possible to understand that kind of mentality; he's probably right, but I can't help but wonder.)

So screw 'em. Forget about the terrible people and the horrendous things they do and say, think and feel... They aren't worth the time or energy. Instead, I focus on the good people and things, and I'm thankful for them.

Like the tons of people who donated to help Phoenix, the puppy someone set on fire. People were so generous that the cost of his care has already been exceeded. 

Or the states that proudly voted for gay marriage in yesterday's election, moving us closer to equality and further from ignorance. 

Or the people who help make our lives better or nicer in small, almost unnoticeable ways every day; the ones who hold doors or smile when you pass them or let you in so you don't miss your exit.

I'm thankful that I was brought up in a family that taught love and acceptance, so that I am one of those good people. And I'm thankful that most of the people in my life are really good people, too. I'm thankful that so many people are decent, compassionate humans, and that those people truly are the majority when it's so easy to feel like they're the minority.