| Sarah Blair — Positive News For You |
Recently my good friend Lee Johndrow, wrote an article for Positive News For You. A New Regime of Businesses making Communities Better. This article really hit home for me. He wrote about how local businesses are banding together in support to help our community grow. While I sat and read this article I was filled with joy and internal gratitude. His words spoke about how a local business was helping the community by donating free haircuts to children in need in the community, but this article touched on my soul in more ways than one could imagine.
“Obstacles do not block the path, they are the path.” – Unknown
There is no greater obstacle than the obstacle of life. We are constantly trying to maneuver our way around what life throws our way. Sometimes we get hit, bumped and bruised along the way. Other times it is smooth sailing. Either way, we all have one life to live, and it is up to us to live it to the best of our abilities. My life has been one crazy joy ride and it has only begun. We all have wants, needs, passions, and goals. Some of us are held back out of fear, others by lack of knowledge. I believe strongly in the power of positivity and the effect it has. We have a choice in life, we can live it to thrive or live it to simply survive. For me, I want to THRIVE!
More often than not it is easier to spread hate than it is to spread love. The issue with this is that negativity is toxic and will cripple a person quickly. The ripple effect of hate is how we end up in a world of war, poverty, and corruption. That is why when I was introduced to Positive News For You, I was enticed by what Lee and his team are trying to accomplish. They want to reward and promote what is right with the world. The more we spread the good, the more good will follow. Now I am not asking you to believe in the power of positivity. I simply want to share with you what I have born witness to.
“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.” – Francis Of Assisi
Media is a tool. It can be beneficial and at times it can be dangerous. Now, I do not want to make this political. But take a moment and think of all the news we hear about today. We hardly ever hear about the good that is being done in our communities. In fact, words like charity, support, community outreach are becoming tarnished. Why is charity bad? What is wrong with support? Why shouldn’t we band together as a community and lift one another up? A team is only as good as its “worst” player. Why can’t this stand true for our communities? There is nothing wrong with charity! It is not a dirty word. People think that charity means they have done something wrong. They feel dirty accepting it. All charity is, is SUPPORT. It is support or rather help to you when you are in need of it. We do not enter this world having all of the knowledge. No, we need teachers and guides to support us till we can learn how to stand on our own two feet. Why is this any different as we get older. You only know what you know. We can always improve and further educate ourselves. This is why Lee’s article took to my soul so deeply.
“Charity isn’t about pity, It’s about love.” – Mother Teresa
I had a young single mother. I watched her work 2 sometimes 3 jobs to feed us. I watched as she put herself through school. I witnessed our family go from needing “Charity” to contributing back to the community that once helped us when we needed it. As our circumstances changed we paid forward the support we received and still do to this day.
What Positive News For You is accomplishing is quite remarkable. Beyond demonstrating the good that is happening within the community, Lee and his team are trying to build a platform for all of you to grow in the community. Whether you are a person in need of work, someone with a voice that wants to be heard or a business trying to reach out to the community. PN4U wants you to be heard in a positive way. If you are reluctant about the power of Positivity. If you are thinking media is a dying field, let me assure the two combined are by far the most powerful ways of communication the human race has. The power of media combined with positivity will have a ripple effect that I hope I am able to put into perspective for you.
“But once you throw a stone. There are ripples in the pond. Even if you remove the rock.” – Jack Picoult
Whether you pick up a small stone or a large, if you throw them both into a pond they both will make ripples in the water. It is a matter of how large the ripple that matters. Before connecting with Positive News For You. Long before starting Country Brew Tours, Before all of this, my life was very different. In fact just a couple of years ago I would never have thought I would be this far. At a young age, I was diagnosed with an illness called Endometriosis. This illness drastically affected my life. At one point the illness had taken over my life. I truly believed I was to live the rest of my days in pain and misery. I was consumed with negativity. Then one day I was sitting at home channel surfing. Something compelled me to stop on some talk show I had never seen before. These women appeared on the TV.
Suddenly I heard the word… END-O-ME-TRI-O-SIS. It was almost as if time stopped. I couldn’t believe my ears. There was someone on the TV speaking about this disease I had been living with for a decade. A disease that just cost me my financial security. A disease that had isolated me. Before that moment I thought I was alone in the world. I felt like I had failed my family. I thought I had done something wrong. Come to find out this disease is quite common. It affects 1 in 10 women worldwide. I certainly was not alone. These woman inspired me. They spoke of the disease and the importance of awareness. I heard her words and took them to heart. I was sick and tired of being sick! The next day, I posted on my Facebook page, that I was going to be in the park in Keene, NH at noon. I mentioned publicly for the 1st time what I had been struggling with. I asked friends to meet in the park to show support and awareness for the disease wearing yellow. I just posted it. Show up they did. Six of my friends showed up wearing yellow, last minute in support of my cause.
We took photos that I later shared on my page, tagging all of them. A woman saw the photo and commented. “I wish I knew about this, I would have come. I too struggle with Endo.” She was a friend of one of my friends I had tagged. I commented back to her. Asking if she wanted to meet. Come to find out, we had met before. In fact, oddly enough, she and I had worked for the same company and had crossed paths on more than one occasion. One photo connected us on this level, One media Share. One act of kindness, Compassion, and POSITIVITY brought us together.
It felt good to have someone to confide in. It felt amazing to not feel alone anymore. This lead to the idea that she and I wanted to help more people like us. A year later we decided that if one post could bring us together, imagine what a news story could do. We contacted the local paper and asked them to share our story. We told the paper that we would be at that same park, at the same time on the one year anniversary of the photos in the park. It was a cold snowy March day, but one year later, 48 people showed up. 48 People that not only met in the park but marched Main Street in Keene, NH with us. One Newspaper article. After that, there was no going back to feeling sorry for myself. There was no way I could ever believe I was alone in this again. In fact, that was when I founded what is known as The Three C’s Foundation. Standing for Care, Cope, Cure. A support group for women struggling with Endometriosis. Which is now a Support group for ALL women related illnesses. We meet in Swanzey, NH once a month.
“Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin
I met so many amazing women the day we had that walk. The Three C’s started meeting once a month and growing in our online presence and physical. We hosted Two walks the following year. One we called Painting the Town Yellow. I had just moved to Vermont, our foundation all agreed it would be nice to reach out further in the community. We took this to the next level. This is where Media meets Community, and community discovers Positivity. I went to 32 local businesses that reside on Main Street in Brattleboro, VT. I asked them all to join The Three C’s Foundation in our Paint the Town Yellow campaign. The purpose of this, was to have the local businesses display yellow in their window displays and place yellow balloons outside of their store doors. Then we would march down Main Street with our Endo awareness signs past all of the businesses in support of us. We wanted the area to know our cause and the women of the community to hear that they were not alone. 30 out of 32 businesses agreed to join our cause. Because of them, the local paper shared our story. More than that we made Front page news, and page 1 inside of the paper. They did a massive story on us. BEYOND THAT!!! WCBX Vermont’s local news channel in Burlington, VT 2.5 hours from Brattleboro caught wind of what we were doing. They called me and had me do a phone interview for their morning show before the walk. then later came down and filmed us as we marched. Airing the story on their 6:00 O’Clock news segment. This was mind BLOWING all on its own. This moment of the community outreach, however, would change my life in a positive way forever.
After our Paint, the Town Yellow campaign, one of the admins for The Three C’s Foundation had someone reach out to them. Another local woman that had also sought after support. This woman had been going from Keene, NH to Boston, MA for support. Not knowing that we were right here in town. This woman found a support group that works with an Endo specialist. They happened to be putting together and educational seminar just two weeks after our walk. This seminar had specialists from all over the country attending. Naturally we got ourselves tickets and on we went.
I had been on the hunt for a specialist for two years, ever since that 1st woman on TV spoke about Endometriosis and now I was finally going to hear from a specialist.
I couldn’t contain myself. I sat there listening to Doctor Malcolm Mackenzie from Saint Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA and all of his wisdom. As soon as Dr. Mackenzie was done speaking I stood from my chair and cut him off on his way to the back where his chair was. I introduced myself and the other admins. We told him what we were doing in the community and received his contact information.
Fast forward a year… I was scheduled to have my excision surgery with Doctor Mackenzie. This surgery changed my life forever! I have been virtually pain free for almost 2 years now.
“Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity.” – Unknown
Before that woman on TV. Before that one Facebook post. Before the media outreach and before the support of the local community; I was a lonely girl, believing my life was over as I knew it. Now I am back to working full time. I am traveling the world. I have started my own business. I am a completely changed person.
Because of the positive changes in my life and my health my journey has brought me here. In the short weeks, I have been working with Lee and Positive News For You, I have taken notice of the same ripple effect that positivity has.
If it wasn’t for all the support, charity, community outreach that lead me to find the answers to my health issues, I would not be starting Country Brew Tours. Starting Country Brew Tours, lead me to local brewery owners such as those of Frogg Brewing Company in Marlborough, NH. I reached out to Frogg and told them my idea for Country Brew Tours. I asked them to join my team. They agreed and have been supportive of me in ways I never imagined. They introduced me to other brewers in the area. They have educated me in the craft. Shared their knowledge of the business. Helped me find the resources I need to get off the ground. They have even helped me in hosting events to promote Country Brew Tours, Launch. One day they happened to share a post of mine on their Facebook page. This post, Lee happened upon. Lee then reached out to me. After learning about Positive News For You and what they are all about. I offered to write a story for them. That story was about the Wyman Tavern Brewfest.
This story caused the Cheshire Historical Society to reach out to me. Which now has turned Country Brew Tours, donating tour tickets to their charity, to help raise money to keep the Historical Society going.
“Who ever controls the media controls the mind.” – Jim Morrison
You see one ripple of positivity, caused a chain reaction. Spreading more and more positivity. The power of media, positivity, and community combined is incredible. If you have a voice that wants to be heard. If you have a business that you want to be involved with the community. If you are now in believe that the media is not only alive but vibrant. Reach out to Positive News For You. When you spread positivity, people will listen. Effective change will happen and we together can make a difference for our community. If you want to spread positivity and get behind something that has proven it works PN4U has a place for you. Reach out to them today and see how the power of positivity and media can change your life or the life of your business.
I hope to read all about it and or be the one bearing witness and writing about it.
Till next time friends.
