Goodness Weekly 11.24.25
“We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.”
— E.O. Wilson
WHAT’S GOOD
Camelot Christmas Toy Drive Ends This Weekend
We’re grateful to share that many gifts for Camelot Christmas have already been donated, and donations continue to pour in. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. To help us reach our goal of celebrating with Camelot families this December, you can order gifts directly from our Amazon or Target gift lists (items ship straight to our office) or donate funds that will go toward stocking the store. All gifts and financial contributions can be made through November 30. We also invite you to watch the video below to learn more about this initiative and the impact it has on our community.
Next Monday, December 1, is the final day to join Friends of Charis Park as a Founding Friend. You can sign up to be a Friend of Charis Park member at any time, but only those who join at the Pollinator level or above by December 1 will receive our limited-edition Founding Friend hat and be part of this inaugural group. Learn more and sign up through the link on our website.
Centering Ourselves in a Noisy World
Amy Lynn Johnson, Communications Manager, Sunset Ridge Collective
A number of years ago I read an article about a man who purposefully avoided all news and media for over a year–to the point where he swore off having conversations about any current events after the 2018 election. The former corporate executive retreated to his farm to focus on his artwork, while still venturing into town for his morning coffee (with white-noise headphones firmly in place to avoid overhearing people’s conversations). He even compelled his friends to refrain from discussing current events around him (and scolded them if they did).
I had a couple swift responses. First, I was incredulous—Who could even do that in this day and age? With the sheer pervasiveness of media and social platforms, it seems nearly impossible to fully disconnect. And then I was irked. What kind of new, white, single-male privilege is this? The luxury of moving somewhere remote, having the financial stability and type of work that allow complete detachment from the outside world, just floating along while the rest of us remain tethered to reality?
Apparently, I wasn’t alone. The article sparked a flurry of comments and letters to the editor, though a handful of readers found his experiment admirable. Putting my inner grumpy old man aside, I can admit there’s a real problem with placing too much focus on what’s going on outside our own lives.
I remember a time when I was hyper-focused on the news of the world: the early days of the pandemic. I read news updates multiple times a day as case counts surged across Europe. A developer created a site that tracked numbers globally, and I refreshed it constantly, screenshotting the data to monitor how quickly things were escalating. That was such a time of anxiety—not knowing how the virus would affect us here in the U.S. as it made its way here. As if being constantly vigilant could somehow keep my kids safer. Unsurprisingly, all that worry translated into many sleepless nights, as I know it did for so many.
A more everyday example of how staying connected can hinder us is the endless scroll of other people’s lives on social media. When our downtime is spent consuming curated snapshots of other people’s lives—their clothes, their homes, their extravagant trips, their extraordinary career moves—it can lead to the inevitable comparison trap. That quiet voice of inadequacy creeps in, and before we know it, we’re making choices based on what we see others achieve or acquire. But humans were never meant to witness the intimate details of hundreds of lives at once—and all the time.
My kids’ school has a no pop culture policy. It applies not only to backpacks and supplies, but also to the topics they discuss at school. The goal is to encourage the kids to focus less on consumerism, trends, and celebrity news, and more on meaningful conversations and genuine curiosity. To help them think more for themselves and consider the deeper truths of life. It’s certainly not foolproof—my kids are still very much aware of pop culture—but I appreciate that their school creates a pocket of space where reflection and inner growth are prioritized over the constant buzz of the world.
Reading the morning paper with my dog, Texas.
I think all of us could benefit from stepping away from the firehose of information now and then. Each morning before work, I take a few quiet minutes at home to sip my coffee, read, journal a sentence or two, and crack open my paper planner to reflect on my current goals and to-dos. When I start my day with scrolling, I’m allowing an algorithm to decide what occupies my mind. But when I begin the day without a screen—without an external voice—I get to center myself in my life. I reconnect with where I stand with my loved ones, my home, the things ahead for me. And from that rooted place, I find I have far more capacity to engage with the world around me.
As we gather with friends and family over Thanksgiving tables this week, I invite you to take a quiet moment to view the world from the inside out. When we only approach it from the outside in, we risk losing sight of ourselves—and our own innate ability to shape the world in positive ways.
Focusing first on what is immediately in front of us—our lives, our families, our communities—gives us the grounding we need to create meaningful change beyond them.
Coming Up…
Daily, NYX Yoga & Fitness
Daily, One Another Coffee (Closed Wednesday-Friday this week for Thanksgiving)
Wednesday, Mission Compost Pick Up
Wednesday November 26th - Friday, November 28th, Offices & One Another Coffee closed for Thanksgiving
Sunday, November 30th, 3 - 4:30 PM, Healing Holidays Workshop, Sunset Ridge Church
Saturdays, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, 9 AM - 1 PM, Charis Park
Every Sunday, Worship at 9 AM and 11 AM, Sunset Ridge Church
Sunday, November 30th, Camelot Christmas gifts and donations due
Monday, December 1st, Last day to sign up as a Founding Friend for Friends of Charis Park
Friday, December 12th & 19th, 5 - 9 PM, The Holiday Night Market at Charis Park
Event Rentals - Interested in hosting your event at Charis Park or in our facilities? Please email rentals@sunset-ridge.org
Community Partners: For updated schedules and events please follow One Another Coffee, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, NYX Wellness, Scott’s Pizza, Mission Compost, Sprouts School, Good Acres, and Community First Food Pantry.
Inhale: Center me within
Exhale: So I can meet the world with peace
