Willow Glen Resident

Letters & Opinions

It's all about attitude and positive thinking

By Moryt Milo

On Saturday I was at a Rotary Club breakfast that was part of the organization's annual district conference. Our newspaper, along with others in the print and broadcast industry, was recognized for its work in the community. It was an honor to be part of this group, and the experience offered a strong sense of reassurance.

The reassurance I'm referring to is the environment created by people who pool their talents on a local, nation and global level to improve the quality of life for others is a positive one. At 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, I was looking at a room filled with people who put "service above self."

There was proof all around me--from table to table-- that lots of people still find ways to make good things happen.

What I walked away with reaffirmed my hope for humanity--that people really do care about people.

But I was also reminded that it takes work, a great deal of work, to create that positive environment, and that can be quite daunting.

Then I started thinking back to some of the individuals we've written about in our newspapers, and I realized that our own communities are full of examples. We have numerous individuals who have set the right wheels in motion. At the time these people never dreamt that their efforts might snowball into a lifetime of positive work. But they did.

The late Louise Benson, who lived in Willow Glen, founded what would become Sacred Heart Community Services. Sylvia Cassell, another Willow Glen resident, wanted to help the blind. Her efforts set into motion the Braille Transcription Project. The late Georgia Travis, a Los Gatos resident, was determined to help homeless mothers and their children get off the streets. Today InnVision operates the Georgia Travis Center. More recently, David Bonasera, who lives in Campbell, is working vigorously to educate the community about air quality problems through his Comcast cable program, "Environmental Concerns."

When I began looking through our papers, I discovered a very long list of people, and that was only in Willow Glen and Campbell.

It was proof positive that one voice can make a difference. One good action can pick up momentum and multiply. One positive thought can form into a great idea. Often it doesn't come easy, especially when times are tough. But if we manage to stick with it, our belief system gets one heck of a boost.

After all, the Rotary started with one guy, Paul Harris, who wanted to recapture the camaraderie he had experienced in the small towns of his youth. He probably never imagined it would turn into an international service organization.

It's that positive momentum that has sustained this club and numerous other service organizations. I see no reason why we can't apply that same positive thinking to anything we wish to accomplish or help make better. We simply have to try.

Moryt Milo is the editor of the Willow Glen Resident. She can be reached at 408.200.1051 or via email at mmilo@community-newspapers.com.