The Sunday Scaries: Good Human Moments
- Rich Honiball
- Mar 9
- 3 min read
On my last Sunday Scaries post, someone shared a simple but powerful perspective:
"I also like to ask myself, what could go right?"
It stuck with me. Because when it comes to anxiety - especially the Sunday Scaries - it’s often not about reality but about how we process it. Everything may be going great, but we fixate on that one thing that isn’t, or we spiral about a problem that doesn’t even exist yet.
That’s not a flaw—it’s human nature.
The Weight of What We Focus On
Psychologists call this negativity bias—the way our brains are wired to give more attention to negative experiences than positive ones. It was once a survival mechanism, but today, it’s why we ruminate over a single bad meeting instead of the ten good ones, or why a Sunday evening can feel heavy even after a great weekend.
It’s reinforced by the negativity that surrounds us - the mean tweets and posts, the sweeping generalizations that miscategorize entire groups of people, the stereotypes that fuel division, and the relentless cycle of outrage. It’s exhausting. And it’s easy - almost effortless - to get sucked into the noise, to respond in kind, to let the anger and cynicism dictate how we see the world.
But what if we made a conscious effort to counterbalance that? Not by ignoring reality but by actively recognizing the small, everyday moments of humanity that remind us that kindness still exists.
A Small Moment of Awareness
Friday, I was in Alexandria, taking a day off to work on my curriculum at George Mason, pick up my daughter, and have dinner with a good friend and his daughter. We grabbed bagels at 'Call Your Mother' on Saturday morning before heading to a favorite vintage shop. It was a simple, good weekend.
And then, on the drive in, I had what I’m calling a "Good Human Moment." A UPS truck was stopped in front of me. The driver coming the other way saw me, paused, and flashed his lights to let me go first.
Minor? Maybe. But it took awareness. And as I passed, I rolled down my window, smiled, gave a thumbs-up, and said:
“GOOD HUMAN!”
He laughed and waved, and we both went on our way. That’s it. It took a few seconds of kindness and acknowledgment, but it stuck with me.
The Power of Recognizing the Good
If you know me, you know that I am prone to run down the rabbit hole. I did. There’s a scientific reason why these moments matter.
🔹 Positive psychology research from Dr. Martin Seligman shows that when we actively recognize and create positive interactions, we rewire our brains to be more resilient and optimistic.
🔹 Studies from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation prove that even witnessing kindness releases oxytocin and serotonin, boosting mood and connection for both the giver and receiver.
🔹 In Japan, there’s a concept called Omotenashi, a cultural mindset of thoughtful gestures with no expectation of return. The idea that small, unnoticed acts of kindness make the world function better. (I plan to dive deeper into this concept).
Maybe Good Human Moments are our version of this—a simple, mindful way to counter the negativity around us.
What If We Focused on That?
We can acknowledge, there is a lot of noise in the world today. The outrage cycles, name-calling, the constant pressure to pick a side. But instead of being consumed by what divides us, maybe the counterbalance is as simple as:
✔️ Looking for the good human moments.
✔️ Creating them for others.
✔️ Recognizing them when they happen.
I won’t be so bold as to say this could be a movement (though I’m game if you are!). But maybe, in place of the insults and boycotts, we choose to invest in what is right, what is good. Because the Sunday Scaries don’t just come from what’s wrong. They come from what we focus on.
And sometimes, all it takes is a pause, a wave, and a small moment of awareness to remind us: There are good humans everywhere. And maybe today, we get to be one of them.
💬 Have you had a "Good Human Moment" recently? What’s a small act of kindness that stuck with you?
Drop it in the comments. Let’s start recognizing what’s right.
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