The Little Things
By Jason Marshall
I’m a newsman by trade.
With that comes a passion for the truth.
Truth be told, it breaks my heart to watch or listen to a newscast today.
Not because the reports are bleak and disheartening. They’ve always been that way.
They’re now intolerable because of a lack of trust. I don’t believe the newsmakers and have no confidence in the people publishing and allegedly reporting.
As a trained journalist, the ideals of integrity, honesty and fairness top the priority list.
Think about that. Shouldn’t we all strive for those three values, in work and in life? Especially those who lead.
The world’s political landscape is a smouldering tire fire. And where there’s smoke, there are mirrors.
Artificial Intelligence is only in its infancy, but it’s already a global epidemic. People hit a button and a computer spits out fake photos or stories to use hundreds of different ways. Musicians use AI. Songwriters. Authors. Companies have you speaking with machines instead of people. The level of phoniness and deception on this planet is immeasurable and humans are losing their humanity.
Don’t even get me started with social media.
It’s the world we live in. And it’s scary.
Just who do you believe? I say, believe in yourself. Trust your moral compass.
My compass always points to childhood. My parents introduced a sense of morality and its sidekick—common sense.
They never taught us like we were in a classroom lecture. They led by example. Gave us all a sense of right from wrong. Showed us all actions have consequences. Trust was earned and reciprocated.
My parents encouraged empathy. Helped us learn from our mistakes. All the while making sure we weren’t pushovers.
These tools have never been more useful than in today’s unpredictable and fragile world.
We can’t shut off the flow of information, because we need to know what’s going on around us. But we need to take the same approach as the prospector panning for gold. Swirl the information around until you find that valuable nugget of truth. Let the rest of the useless crap float downstream.
Look no further than the hot air mass coming up from below the 49th parallel. If veiled threats morph into the truth, the world as we know it could change dramatically. And quickly.
More reasons to live in the moment and embrace the things that matter most.
Turn off the news. Turn on music that inspires you to sing. Or makes you cry. Both help cleanse the soul.
Put down your phone and be present. For your kids. Grandkids. Family and friends. Face time tops screen time every time.
Talk. And listen. Smile and laugh. Each of these should be genuine and from the heart.
Tomorrow is the day for washing dishes, shovelling snow or folding laundry. Today is the day to visit your grandkids so you can dirty dishes by baking chocolate chip cookies. Put the shovel away and make snow angels in the yard. And add to the laundry pile through an intense finger-painting session. No masterpiece worthy of the fridge door comes without a colourful mess.
There’s no better time than right now to call your mom and dad or your kids. Tell them you’re thinking of them and always there for them. That they’re not alone.
Invite them to a family dinner. Why do we need the calendar to tell us it’s time to get together around the table and break bread?
Help douse the flames of worry for family and friends. In exchange, provide a spark of positivity and reassurance.
Pour a cup of hot chocolate with way too much whipped cream while you share stories around the table. Better yet, grab your mom’s photo album and breathe life into dormant memories.
In a time of uncertainty, make certain to tell those you love that they are loved. And you can never go wrong with a hug.
You can’t control what’s happening around the globe, but your world can easily be filled with kindness and emanating warmth.
Tell those closest to you to trust their hearts and embrace the little things. Neither will ever steer you wrong. They make all the difference.
Now that’s something we can trust.
Jason Marshall has been a writer and journalist for more than 35 years and is an on-air host and general manager at Valley Heritage Radio just outside of Renfrew, Ontario. And he’s truly a big kid at heart. You can email him anytime at jason@valleyheritageradio.ca.
