About those bad things that almost happened

Crisis averted

We've all done it, thought it, or said it.

"I almost fell."

"Be more careful. You almost dropped that!"

"We almost crashed! We could've been killed!"

Life seems chock full of 'almosts,' and we're pretty vocal about the hazards and potentially awful outcomes of things that didn't happen. But what good does it do to harp on about the bad that could've occurred when, ultimately, it didn't?!

Frankly, it's like being 'almost' pregnant. Either you are, or you're not. There's no being 'sort of' pregnant.

So instead of complaining about all of the things that almost went wrong, perhaps we can all spend a little more time being grateful for what didn't go wrong ... along with the thousand things that went right. ❤

When being first makes winners of us all

originally written in support of Positive News Month

In 1909, Louis Blériot made history by being the first person to fly across the English Channel in a heavier than air aircraft, meaning a craft other than a hot air balloon. The Channel has long held fascination for those attempting firsts. It's attracted swimmers, aviators, and all manner of individuals testing human-powered technologies.

At the time of Blériot's crossing, he was an inventor and engineer who created the first practical truck headlamp—an invention that earned him enough money to fund his efforts to build a working aircraft. He went on to make the first piloted monoplane and founded a successful aircraft manufacturing company.

In the intervening years, we've collectively come to take air travel for granted. We often grumble about the high price of tickets, and many were enraged when the government supplied financial bail-outs to airlines.  Frankly, we often regard those who control big business as big jerks! For decades we've been barraged by shocking reports of industrial waste and greed. Manufacturing, as a whole, as shown far more interest in profits than in preservation of our world and its resources.

That's why the latest first over the English Channel is so heartening and so important.

On Friday, 10 July 2015, test pilot Didier Esteyne flew the first electric airplane across the channel on behalf of Airbus of France.  The flight came on the heels of a similar, though unofficial, battery-operated crossing by independent French pilot Hugues Duval just the day before.

Regardless of who got their first, we all win when companies like Airbus and individuals like Duval take it upon themselves to seek out solutions to the world's sustainable power/pollution crisis. It's a power struggle that actually benefits the whole planet.

To read more about these recent fuel-free flights, visit the Associated Press site.

Fine Dining for Baltimore's Homeless

Reblogged from PositiveNewsMedia.org

Baltimore Magazine reported on the following story:

Michael Tabrizi - as seen in Baltimore Magazine

Baltimore's upheaval and drama took center stage this spring, with imposed curfews shackling citizens as well as small business owners and restaurateurs. July's Baltimore Restaurant Week should help many eateries to make up for their losses. Even so, Michael Tabrizi has a different goal for his restaurant during the July 20-25 dining celebration.

For those five days, Tabrizi's will close its doors to regular business and spend the time feeding the city's homeless.  The restaurant has teamed up with local shelters to serve elegant, balanced fine dining meals to the area's disenfranchised.

“I decided that, after all of the chaos earlier this year, it would be better to do something for the city to unite the people,” he says. “It isn’t about revenue and money right now, we’ve done restaurant week before and we know the numbers, but right now it’s more important to promote the welfare of the city and its residents rather than to promote the business.”

“These people don’t only suffer from hunger, but also from hopelessness, they feel that they don’t have any dignity anymore,” Tabrizi says. “We want them to come in and feel like they’re cared for.” 

“The main goal is just to show people that actions do matter. Baltimore has a long way to recover and we can’t just rely on other people to lead. It’s our city,” Tabrizi says. “My dad used to always say, ‘You can’t control what people do and say, but you can control how you act.’ My reaction is bringing people together and showing them that I care.”

Visit BaltimoreMagazine.net for more on this grass roots initiative to feed the homeless with dignity and grace.