If you’re having a good day, the last thing you should do is read the news.
“No news is good news,” my grandmother used to say. And it’s true with newspapers, network journalism, and Internet news.
Most news broadcasts begin with a perky news anchor who says good evening, then spends the next 45 minutes telling you why it’s not.
So I want to tell you about a few things the newspersons forgot to mention.
Starting with Piper-Khol Kelly, who recently turned 5. She has spina bifida.
When her parents first found out they were going to have a baby, they were ages 19 and 20. The ultrasounds said their little girl had a spinal condition which causes weakness or paralysis in the lower limbs.
“Your child will never walk,” the doctor said.
The couple traveled to Germany for an experimental treatment. It was risky. Surgeons operated on the child’s spine while she was in the womb.
Recently, 5-year-old Piper participated in a schoolwide athletic day. She played, she ran, she horsed around with her friends. Nobody would have ever guessed the child had a spina bifida.
“When she was around two,” her mother said, “[Piper’s] physio gave her a walking frame—she doesn’t use it anymore…”
Now let’s travel to Inner Mongolia, China. The Hulunbuir grasslands are a vast, empty pasture with hundreds of rivers and lakes. You’re looking at a flat landscape, covered in blinding snow.
A local was passing by, named Mister Wang, a man who does not enjoy jokes about his name. And no, his first name is not Peter. Grow up. He was walking along the fields one evening, in a remote area, when he heard sounds of animal distress.
He found a pregnant horse, lying lifeless in the snow crust. Brown, fuzzy coat. White star on the forehead. The horse was trapped in a hole, unable to lift herself from the frozen tundra. She wasn’t moving.
Wang ran back for help and returned with a front-end loader. They tied ropes around the horse’s weakened body and lifted her from the pit. When she staggered to her feet, she hobbled back to thank her Samaritan.
If you’ve never seen a horse show thanks, you don’t know what you’re missing.
We appreciate you, Mister Wang.
Now, let me introduce you to Joshua Cavallero, a bicycle courier in Washington DC. He came across another bike courier named Kevin who was out making deliveries.
Kevin was making an Indian food delivery. Let it be stated by this author that Indian food causes nuclear moments in the lower digestive tract.
Kevin was wearing a foot cast. He dismounted and used a walker that he carried on his handlebars with a bike lock.
Josh saw him struggle, and helped Kevin make the delivery. Then he watched Kevin climb back on his bike to complete the rest of the day’s deliveries.
Josh asked how long things had been like this. Kevin said he had been making deliveries for two weeks with a broken foot after a bad accident.
“Are you serious?” said Josh.
To which Kevin replied: “I got bills to pay, bruh.”
So Josh posted a video on Instagram, raising money for Kevin. Five million hits later, they raised a lot of money. And the tips keep pouring in.
The “bruh” still makes deliveries with a walker chained to his bike. But his bills are paid.
So anyway, sometimes I’m tempted to think this planet isn’t doing so hot. After all, news headlines give you every reason to believe so.
Admittedly, I know nothing of politics, world economics, or societal reform. But I promise you this, if you’re lucky enough to watch 5-year-old Piper run and play, it will change your mind about this old world.
It did mine.
3 comments
JimmyJames in Dallas - January 12, 2024 1:16 pm
Sean I have some good news. Our first grandchild was born this morning. He and our daughter are doing fine. It’s a great day.
pattymack43 - January 12, 2024 4:57 pm
Love and believe every word!! Keep them coming!! Blessings!!
Kate - January 13, 2024 6:13 pm
Thanks for sharing this, Amazing!