Humbled.

Do you ever have those days where, after weeks of focusing on your own life, goals, and worries, you hear from a friend, read a story in the newspaper, etc. and are completely humbled?
I just had one of those moments. In fact, I've had a few recently.
I have a friend who just emailed me about going to Afghanistan on a peaceful mission to rebuild through art, trade, and education. Who lives her life like rainy days and hard moments don't exist. Who literally has a smile that lights up a room. WOAH. Humbled.
But it's not even just the big, exciting adventures like that that I hear about that stop me in my tracks. It's hearing about friends and family basically keeping to themselves and working less than romantic jobs who drop everything for someone in need. Who put their own lives on hold time and time again for a sick parent, a scared sibling, a friend who calls them crying at 2 am. And they do it without a complaint and without expecting anything in return. It doesn't mean they are perfect or that they might not wish things were different, but they take what life hands them and they move forward. Incredible.
It's the stories in the newspapers like the one I read awhile back about the art student in NY who got hit by a bus, who everyone essentially gave up on besides her boyfriend. And how the boyfriend sat by her bed, day in and out, doing everything he could to talk to her and get her to communicate. At the ripe bold age of 22, that boy knew that love meant being there for someone when the rest of the world decided it was no use.
And it's the even more simple gestures, like patients at a hospital who try to make their doctors or nurses smile everyday. Who think about the other people around them and are concerned for their well-being even though they themselves have every right to be cranky and self-focused. It's the students who work hard and study harder day in and day out because they believe that they can go into the world and make it better someday whether through healthcare, literature, law, or education.
Stories like these remind me that for all you hear about cheating politicians and celebrities, crime, and dishonesty, there are people who are always plugging away to give us hope in humanity and the belief that people are inherently good.
So for all the wonderful friends, family and strangers that I have come across, thank you for humbling me and reminding me that there is always more to be done and more love to give.
Happy Friday, happy weekend :)
Lots of love from the snowy midwest! XO