“I have decided to stick to love...Hate is too great a burden to bear.” ― Martin Luther King Jr

I haven't really been watching the news lately, it just depresses me too much, but you would have to live under a rock to not know what is going on in Baltimore.  I know that people are angry, frustrated and scared and that I'll never understand that kind of fear because, well, I just never will.  I can't help but feel like society is going backwards.  Black people are afraid of cops, white people don't know who to believe, it's all just getting out of hand.  Here's what I do know:
There are bad cops.
There are bad black people.
There are bad white people.
There are bad brown and beige people.
There are bad Muslims, Catholics, Christians and Atheists.
There are bad teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, waitresses, bankers and investors.
There are bad people of every race, religion and field of employment (and even bad unemployed people).

But, here's what I believe:
There are good cops.
There are good black people.
There are good white people.
There are good brown and beige people.
There are good Muslims, Catholics, Christians and Atheists.
There are good teachers, doctors, lawyers, politicians, waitresses, bankers and investors.
There are good people of every race, religion and field of employment (and even good unemployed people).

And I believe that the good outnumber the bad in every one of those categories.  I know things are looking dark right now, but what if we all tried to see the good in others?  What if we lifted each other up, complimented and gave praise instead of looking for the bad and criticizing?  I know we can love each other and end violence.  I know that we can be happy and non-judgmental.  How do we get there?  That's where I want to be and that's how I'm going to live.  Maybe I'm just some crazy naive white girl, but I am going to look for the good in everyone I meet.  I hope we all can do the same.

I Don't Believe in New Year's Resolutions

So, we are almost two weeks into 2012 and people keep asking me what my New Year's resolutions are.  I don't believe in New Year's resolutions.  I have learned that for me, New Year's resolutions are just a set up for failure.  I can't logically set a resolution for myself that I'm going to stick with for 365 days just because it's January 1st. 

I have, however, set some personal goals for myself.  Not resolutions, but things I would like to do to better myself.  Not for a year, but for life. 

One goal I have set is to spend more time outside with my kids, especially on break.  I've found that it's so easy to spend time cleaning my house during break (and who doesn't love a clean house?), but while I'm inside cleaning my house, my kids are inside watching TV, playing video games, you get the picture.  So, luckily for us, winter break was amazing.  The weather was so nice, we were outside almost every day.  We went on walks around the Marina, went on bike rides, spent time together.  This was one of those breaks that I will never forget.  I've learned that although my house isn't spotless, the dirt will be there another day.  My kids have grown so much.  I don't want to regret cleaning my house instead of playing with my kids.  I don't want my kids to say that their mom was too busy cleaning the house to play with them. 

So, this is my promise to myself and my kids.  Not for a year, but forever.  I will never, ever put cleaning the house before playing with you again.  Really, I'm the only person who notices the dust on the table.  Some day, I'm going to miss the days that I didn't have time to keep the house spotless.