Claim zen-time

Some days it's all I can do to stay positive and focused on gratitude. Do you experience that, too?

I want to be an informed citizen, so I listen to news. I read periodicals. But more and more, those things are negative. Please, someone, print and run the good news, too! Does it really all have to be conflict, murder and mayhem to have good ratings?

Lately, I'm hearing more and more about people who plant stories in the media to cause even more conflict and strife between, say, political opponents. They do so not because they support one candidate or the other but because they want to stir things up. In fact, often they support someone in another party altogether. At any rate, it makes me suspicious of so much of what I read and hear. And that isn't good for my positive attitude, either.

So what's a person to do? For me, it underscores the importance of claiming zen-time, quiet time, meditation time or whatever name you put to it. Zen-time can look different to each person. For some, it's meditation. Reading. Praying. Gardening. Sewing. Weaving. Painting. Walking in nature. Biking. Whatever allows you to shed fears and worries for a time and to be immersed in the joy of being—that qualifies as good quiet time. It's about renewal. Refocusing on the positive. Being rather than doing.

So what'll it be today?