So you’ve woken up in this wild place and you have no idea what the hell to do with it yet. There’s political warfare happening right and left, a plethora of endangered species [love, loyalty, and honesty among them], news channels brimming with catastrophe, and the quiet sadness of a society drifting further and further apart. Lucky you.

Now, I don’t say that entirely sarcastically; there’s a lot of beauty mixed in with the chaos.  Currently, a seventeen year old young woman is leading the global movement on girls education after having a bullet blown through her skull. Sixteen countries have struggled for and won the right to same-sex marriage and this number is ever on the rise. Suicide rates are dropping worldwide--more people are seeking support for mental illness than ever before. America has elected its first black president. Twenty-eight nations have female leaders. The wage gap is decreasing.

Then there are the smaller, subtler, but no less wonderful things happening right now.

At this very moment, a surgeon has just saved her patient’s life. A newborn infant is taking her first breath. People in thousands of cities are actively assisting and standing up for the powerless, the homeless, and the neglected. Someone is complimenting a stranger who desperately needs a reason to smile. A teenage boy just heard someone say something nice about him. A long-term alcoholic just celebrated one full year of sobriety. A seventy year old man is finally learning how to read. Two young men are receiving their very first kiss, from each other. Someone is experiencing the immense satisfaction of having realized their lifelong dream, despite countless naysayers telling them it wasn’t possible. A passionate, expressive musical performance is bringing an audience to tears. Where a forest once burnt to ashes, new trees are once again reaching for the cosmos. An overweight woman is looking in the mirror, finally happy with what she sees there. A couple is hugging and sobbing; the husband has just beat cancer. A woman is telling her girlfriend she’s the most beautiful person she’s ever seen. Children are playing in the rain. People are screaming lyrics and dancing recklessly, not worrying, protected from pain by the rhythm they feel. Best friends are gasping with laughter. A little boy is racing toward the tide. Someone’s having an epiphany. Despite all astronomical odds against life in the universe, here we are, breathing and singing, pondering and climbing.

Do you see what I mean? There is always beauty. If you are attentive, you will find it. If you are willing, you will help create it.

Welcome to planet Earth, dear. Have fun out there. It’s goddamn crazy.

You’re going to love it.