Look for the helpers

Fred Rogers often told this story about when he was a boy and would see scary things on the news: “My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”

In this recent email communication about the benefits of meditation, my AFM colleague Erwin Boco describes the inherent cognitive bias that makes us focus on the stressful and negative aspects of a situation. He invites us to balance out this predisposition by training our brain to also look for the positive. I echo his recommendation. No matter where you sit on the spectrum that spans from cynic to optimist, I am certain that you will be more settled and function better if you cultivate the habit of looking for the positive and focus on the helpers. Today I am inspired by my colleagues who continue to bring positive energy and big smiles to their work and Team Shield, a volunteer group of students (that includes the kids of Vinh Le and Sarah Heringer and nephew of Mel Vallero) making face shields for frontline health care workers.

(L) Mr. Rogers; (M) ER helpers Chris Canfield, John Wiesenfarth, Margaret Smith, and Ken Collins; (R) Team Shield