On the Corner of Peace and Hope

Little things make me happy. A sunny day, a moonlit night, birds chirping in the grapefruit tree outside my bedroom window – those things are priceless. A smile, a hug, the kindness of strangers – those things give me hope. A hope that there is still goodness and kindness left in this world, that there are people who care for one another regardless of race, color, or creed.

Driving home with my family Friday afternoon, I saw some local peace activists standing at a very prominent and very busy intersection of town. It was during rush hour traffic, people were driving home from work or shopping. There were only a handful of peaceniks standing on that corner, contending with the blistering California heat. Their signs were held high – peace symbols, honk for peace, end the war…

No one was honking, not a single car horn sounded. No one was paying any attention to the people on the corner it seemed. There were no supportive shouts for peace, and no victory signs held high. Folks were sitting contentedly in their expensive air-conditioned cars, seemingly oblivious to the people on the sidewalk. I was quite taken by surprise.

We rolled down our windows, however, honked our car horn and stuck our heads out of the car, flashing peace signs with our hands held high above our heads. In that short moment we connected with those folks on the corner, and that gave me hope. It may sound silly, naive, or cliche, but that’s how I felt. Hopeful. Hopeful that there are still people in this world who want to make a difference. People who want things to change. People who care about others in this world – people they don’t know, have never laid eyes upon, in places they have never even heard of. That gives me hope. Those wonderful people standing on the corner in the hot afternoon sun have no idea the amount of joy they sent home with me that day. It was a split second, but that memory of hope will last a lifetime.

Thank you!

P.S. One of these days, God willing, I will stand on that corner with them – my peace sign held high in the air, a smile on my face, and a heart filled with hope!

What about you? What things give you hope? Are you a peacenik at heart too?

Michelle

I'm a lover of life and all things natural and organic. I love practicing yoga, making healthy foods, nature photography, DIY projects, making homemade beauty treats, and creating handmade jewelry. I'm passionate about a lot of things and write about them here on my blog. Peace, social justice, good food, green beauty, sustainable living - you name it, I care about it. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. Peace. ;)

Comments

3 thoughts on “On the Corner of Peace and Hope”

Hello from SITSGirls 31DBBB challenge. I’m glad I stopped by as your topic is dear to my heart. It is so fascinating how people talk about wanting peace but won’t bother responding to a friendly gathering of peaceful people. Well done and I love your blog. I have liked it on FB!
Best,
Eliz
ElizOF recently posted..Creative Freedom- The Genius of Blogging

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Michelle on August 8, 2010 at 12:29 pm said:

Thank you so much! I really was surprised by the lack of participation from people – even a simple honk of their car horn… Maybe people are just so focused on themselves anymore? Bad economy, no jobs, that kind of thing.

Thanks for the visit, and for taking the time to leave a comment.

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