This week, I had planned on writing tips on stress management. However, when I opened my computer & saw the video above of Jennifer Hudson and children from the Sandy Hook Elementary School singing America the Beautiful at the opening of the Super Bowl yesterday, I changed my mind.
First, I have a confession to make. I did not watch the beginning of the Super Bowl. I am not an avid football fan, therefore, I was driving when the Super Bowl began. I watched later in the game, saw some amazing touch downs, Beyonce's extravaganza at half time, the black out & the rest of the game. While watching, I was working on the Motivational Mondays photo & began to organize my thoughts for today's post.
This morning when I saw this video, I realized that I missed the best part of the Super Bowl. It was inspiring to see the players moved by the song as they swayed, some with their hands over their hearts or on a child's shoulder & sang along. It was even more powerful to know how much having the Super Bowl in New Orleans was helping a city still overcoming the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Whether you missed this powerful rendition of America the Beautiful, which represents the resilience of a nation coming together & rebuilding, or if you saw it yesterday, it is worth watching again to motivate you this Monday morning. It was a major dose of positive psychology for a nation in need of recovery. I applaud the producers of the Super Bowl for making such an inspiring statement. Hopefully, it will help us to remain focused on the conversations that need to happen that will lead to reform & creative solutions to the problems that face our great nation (see my earlier posts: Dear Mr. President: Help Us Make Right Something So Wrong, Five Ways to Give Meaning to a Blue Christmas, & What If? Wednesday).
Last week I used the song Manic Monday by the Bangles to give you some suggestions of ways to weave your dreams into your week staring on your 1st coffee break. How did you do with that assignment? Did you discover a dream that you want to start working toward? Spend some time on your coffee break to revisit your dream & see whether you have been making room for it over the last week. I'd love to hear how you are doing with the assignment!
Have a wonderful week!
Thanks for this great post! I was also really moved by the Sandy Hook kids singing in the Super Bowl. I felt that it must have been a great gift to those kids, to form such a positive memory after such a tragic period. It was not only a gift to that group of kids, but to the whole school who must have cheered them on, the city of Newtown and like you said, to the entire nation!
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