Peace in the Storm
An idea that has been useful to me as I have grown older is the idea that I have control over what I am exposed to, what I focus on, what I dwell on, et cetera. I have developed a sort of filter over the years, or at least that it what I like to think of it as – a filter, lens, or more simply, perspective. I try my best to use this “filter” efficiently by training myself to look for and focus on the positive things of life. However, this does not mean that I completely block out the negative or bad things. This is a lesson I have learned just within the past year: I can acknowledge that the negative is there without letting it consume me.
Right as COVID began and my senior year of high school was being taken from me left and right, I got into the habit of blocking out the bad. I did not want to focus on the bad things happening, did not want to talk about them, and did not even want to think about them or acknowledge them. However, as the pandemic progressed, I realized what an unhealthy habit that was for myself because I was not processing what was going on in the world. It was not when I was ignoring the negative that I felt peace, it was when I finally acknowledged that it was there but knew I was going to be okay anyways because of my faith that I felt peace.
This experience taught me an important lesson, not just regarding COVID, but all things in life that are hard and difficult. I realized that I do not have to be some kind of positivity robot that only acknowledges the good and immediately disregards the bad. I realized that it is okay to acknowledge the bad as long as I do not let it consume me. Once I realize that a certain thing is disturbing my peace and making me cross over from at peace to worried, then I know that it is time to surrender it to God and pray instead.
So I think that, at least for me, it has been a healthy realization to know that I can acknowledge the bad while focusing on the positive. Acknowledging that the negative is there does not negate the positive or make my filter/lens of positivity any less meaningful. It simply means that yes, I know the negative things are there, but I am going to be okay no matter what. The keyword for me is the but. ‘I am tired, but…’ ‘This was a hard year, but…’ That ‘but’ is the boundary that separates the acknowledgement of bad from the expectation of the good that is coming. That ‘but’ signifies hope and an expectation for the future regardless of current circumstances.
I think that this same lesson can be applied to the news, media, and even this newspaper. I have heard a lot of people recently saying how negative the paper is. Immediately, what comes to mind is all of the stories that I have had a pleasure of writing the past year and a half. I have written stories on the opening of businesses, the perseverance of businesses throughout COVID, community members coming together to celebrate veterans, community members organizing free pet food giveaways, a grandmother making a classroom right beside her living room for her grandchildren, local teachers and coaches giving their all for their students, GHS alumni succeeding in a variety in ways, local schools getting recognition from NASA, organizations supporting the community food pantry, and local businesses banding together to give GHS seniors their prom. The list goes on and on and on. And none of this is a brag on me or the paper, it is a brag on this community and the wonderful things that occur every day that most people don’t even realize are happening. Yes, bad and negative things happen too – that is life and that is the world. Yes, those things will be in the paper because it is all news nonetheless and it is our job to report it. However, this does not indicate an overall negativity.
So I encourage readers to think about their own set of boundaries. Not everyone’s sense of well-being is the same. Some people might find peace in blocking out the bad completely and just focusing on the good. Others, like myself, might find peace in acknowledging the bad is there, but then praying about it instead of letting it upset them, and then appreciating the good even more. If things were good all of the time, we wouldn’t appreciate it as much. If negative things are going to happen, let’s at least give them some use. Allow the negative experiences, things, and even articles to instill a greater appreciation for the positive. Allow them to teach lessons. That is how things get better.
God bless, Cibola!