When my daughter was young she worried a lot. She was scared, so scared, of all the terrible things that could happen. That her father and I would get in an accident. That her brother would have an accident. That a plane we were flying on would crash. That someone she loved would die. She was scared.

I wanted to help her. I wanted her to know that, basically, the world was not dangerous, and that most things are and would be okay. Because while there are no guarantees that everything will always be safe and fine, the truth is that there is much more fine in the world than not fine. There is more good than bad. And I wanted, desperately wanted, my daughter to know this.

I told her that there was more good news than bad news each day, but that the newspapers and TV stations pretty much only shared the bad news because that’s what they thought people would be interested in hearing. “It would be boring if they told you each time a plane landed,” I said. “That’s why you only hear about the ones that don’t. A plane just landed safely. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. It would get old, fast.”

There is more good news than bad news in the world. There is more good than bad in the world. Sometimes it’s easy to think it’s the other way around, because that is often what grabs our attention. The bad news, the anomalies, is what sells newspapers and what catches our eyes. It would be boring if we counted everything that went well, and everyone that was fine, and every story that had a happy ending.

Or would it? Would it be boring? Is good news boring? It might get repetitive, and it might not make the best headlines. “7 billion people continue to live” might not be a catchy headline, but maybe again it is. Maybe we should call out all the good that happens, all the good that exists. I know I feel better when I focus on and notice and talk about the good stuff. My day changes when I remember something to smile about. My mood improves when I count my blessings and make my gratitude list – especially when I go all out on my gratitude list and run out of space on my paper.

I say yes to more good news. And good news. And good news. Even if it gets old, fast. Because most things are, and will be, okay. And that’s good. There are more good things than bad things. And the good news is not boring. It’s good.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!