Gratitude Journal

Today I am grateful for several pieces of uplifting news on NPR this morning. I got out of my car at the office with a feeling of hope which is always a nice way to start the week. As I remember them, these are the stories that brought hope to my heart on the drive in:

• Obama, nearing the end of his oversees tour, has made his first stop in a Muslim nation as the President of the US. He made a special point to tell the people of Turkey that we are not at war with Islam and that he believes we need to forge a more cohesive relationship and partnership with the Muslim faith. I love that we have a leader that acknowledges different cultures and faiths. I think his acknowledgement of "other" in the world will help our nation become more accepting as well.
• There was a segment on advances in Iraq - not all positive - but there are definitely some signs of progress in their country.
• Some scientists at MIT have recently created a feasible biological option to a lithium ion battery using a genetically programmed virus. It does not use fossil fuels and is incredibly sustainable compared to our current technology. Crazy, innovative stuff!
• Finally, they ran an interview with Peter Orszag, Obama's budget director. This guy is amazing. He is very interested in creating Universal Healthcare which I think is so important for our society. He was talking about how social and economic theory is changing so much right now because the world is just beginning to realize you can't hold to hard theory when human nature is involved. He is one of the first people in this role that not only understands economics but looks at the bigger picture. I am happy we have someone that is so thoughtful leading the charge on our budget development.

Speaking of uplifting news, although I feel obligated to some point to stay abreast of what is going on in the world, I can't bear the doom and gloom of many news outlets. That is why I am an NPR junkie. They don't ignore the bad... they just choose to focus on the good. I have recently found another source of "good" news. If you are interested, check out Ode Magazine - For Intelligent Optimists.