Friday 8 April 2011

Because the World Is Such Mess These Days: Two Bits of Good News

At the turn of the year, I decided that we needed some good news, so I ran down five items that I thought might lift spirits. The news these days seems even worse--nuclear generating plants spewing radiactive water, the Arab Spring stalling in Libya, the US government grinding to a halt, not to mention Stephen Harper-- so it seems to me that more good news is in order.

Okay: here are two local items:

1. Young people in Montreal are giving older folks and parents with children their seats on public transport. When I was traveling buses and the Metro with small children, nobody ever offered us a seat, yet I've seen it happen regularly lately. And as a lady of a certain age, I can attest that nearly every time I get on a crowded bus somebody younger signals that they'd be pleased to get up for me. I usually smilingly refuse, but I've taken to saying in a loud voice how polite young people are these days.

2. Dog owners pick up after there pets. Twenty-five years ago when we were walking a dog, we were about the only people scooping poop, and when the thaw came about this time of year, Montreal stank. The little plastic bag with or without a plastic shovel now seems standard dog-walking equipment, though, and as the ice and snow has melted this year, I've been delighted to see how little dog droppings have been uncovered, even in the densely populated, dog-loving neighborhood we're living in for the duration.

These are small things on the cosmic scale, but sometimes small things are what you need to keep you going.

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