Books to Blogs #14
Book: One Question A Day for Positivity
December 8: “What’s a sign of progress in the world?”
Some questions feel large the moment we read them — as if they’re inviting us to zoom out, breathe deeply, and really look at the world we’re part of. This one did exactly that. What’s a sign of progress in the world? It’s a question that could lead to statistics, global movements, scientific advancements, or technological leaps… but my mind went somewhere different at first.
I thought about people.
Because even with everything happening around us — the noise, the division, the overwhelm, the digital avalanche of opinions and reactions — there is something quietly, steadily shifting:
People are becoming more self-aware, more compassionate, and more willing to do the inner work that generations before us didn’t always have the tools or language for.
That, to me, is progress.
I see it every week in my sessions, in conversations with friends, in clients who show up exhausted yet determined to heal, in online communities choosing curiosity over shame, and in families who are finally beginning to talk openly about mental health, boundaries, and emotional well-being.
Progress looks like someone choosing therapy for the first time.
It looks like a parent apologizing to their child.
It looks like a young adult learning to rest without guilt.
It looks like a couple choosing communication over silence.
It also looks like the small rebellions that ripple outward: choosing kindness when cynicism is easier, choosing to educate ourselves instead of reacting, choosing to pause before speaking, choosing to see the humanity in someone who disagrees with us.
And then there’s the other side of progress — the technological one — which is equally remarkable.
We live in a world where we can meet “in person” without physically being in the same space. Zoom, Google Meet, GoTo Meeting… these platforms have transformed connection. A report that once required a scheduled appointment can now be shared through a quick Loom video. In offices, tools like Slack save time and keep everyone aligned without needing to pick up the phone or walk down the hallway.
Recently on the Bob & Sheri Show, they talked about how expensive landline calls used to be — especially around the holidays — and how families were limited by the number of phone lines in the house. Today? We can send a dozen texts with GIFs, photos, voice memos, or short videos to loved ones across the country in seconds. Connection is no longer limited by distance or cost.
And of course, we can’t talk about progress without acknowledging the rise of AI and robotics — not as replacements for human connection, but as tools that support it.
AI helps people write, learn, process emotions, organize their thoughts, manage schedules, and deepen creativity. Robots assist in surgeries, elder care, manufacturing, rescue missions, and disaster recovery, taking on dangerous or physically taxing tasks so humans don’t have to. These advancements aren’t about losing humanity — they’re about giving humanity more time, more safety, and more possibilities.
But some of the most awe-inspiring signs of progress extend far beyond our daily lives.
Over lunch, my husband and I were talking about how fragile the human body really is — how space and the deep ocean are environments that would crush us, freeze us, or suffocate us instantly. Yet because of innovation, curiosity, and sheer determination, we can still go there.
We study galaxies through telescopes, rovers, satellites, and probes.
We explore the ocean through submersibles, underwater drones, and robotics capable of traveling miles below the surface.
Technology becomes our body in those places: our eyes, our hands, our presence.
It carries our questions into the parts of the universe — and the Earth — we could never reach alone.
Space and ocean exploration aren’t just scientific achievements. They are reminders that progress often begins with a simple human impulse: wonder. The desire to understand what lies beyond what we can immediately see. The courage to explore the unknown. The humility to recognize our limits, paired with the brilliance to work around them.
And in a way, that brings us full circle:
Progress is the merging of human curiosity with human ingenuity — our inner world and our outer world expanding together.
Sometimes the world moves forward because technology evolves.
Sometimes it moves forward because we do.
And sometimes… it’s both at once.
A question for you:
Where do you notice progress — in yourself, in your relationships, or in the world around you?
Theresa
Flexible Being
Empowering Your Journey to Healing, Clarity, and Self-Discovery.
Thank you for being here. If you enjoyed this post, there’s plenty more where that came from, everything from soulful healing tips to playful prompts and real conversations about life.
Find me and connect today. I want to learn about your story:
Email: theresa@flexiblebeing.com
Website: www.flexiblebeing.com
Instagram:
@theresamartinezshapiro
@flexiblebeing
Theresa Martinez-Shapiro
Hello! I am Theresa Martinez-Shapiro; Wife to Robert. Founder of Flexible Being. A Master Reiki Therapist, Certified Oracle Guide, Spiritual Mentor/Guide, Intuitive Empath, Coach, and Educator. I am a fur mom to 3 cats and 1 dog – Sonny, Patches, Ryelee, and Winnie. We currently live and practice in Stockton, California. We operate three businesses – Shapiro Holistic Health and Chiropractic, Fusion Health APC, and Synergy Health MSO, where we seek to improve and change the lives of our patients and those we have the privilege of crossing paths with. My healing and mentoring journey began around 5 years old when I discovered that I was put on this planet to help others. I knew I was different, unique, and gifted. I did not see the world the same way everyone else did, and recognized I was meant to do so much more. I began to research, spending a lot of time reading & asking a lot of questions to anyone that wanted to share stories about their life experiences. I am a dreamer and had a unique relationship with the dream world. My very real, vivid & lucid dreams began turning into out-of-body experiences and unexplained occurrences. I began doing my own dream interpretations to look for patterns & a new way of deciphering life. Family members were part of many different religions, so I was educated in Catholicism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, and Native American culture & beliefs. Along the way, I took up multiple mentors that cultivated my growth and expansion of my gifts, allowing me to focus on my potential and purpose. As an adult, coworkers were unloading their life stories, internal secrets, and things that had not been shared or even spoken out loud. I began to share those experiences with my aunt & Reiki Master/Teacher, Carmen. In 2012, Carmen told me, “I think you are ready to walk the path I always knew you were meant to walk”. That saying began my obsessive journey into Reiki, Spirituality, Psychology, Intuition and Psychic gifts, Meditation and Mindfulness, Past Lives, Consciousness, Energy Medicine, Mysteries of the Universe, Moon and Sun cycles, Astrology, Numerology, Oracle Cards, Shamanism, & so much more. My journey has helped me to assist patients, clients, families, and friends discover who they have been, who they are, and who they want to become. I am expanding my reach and educating others by authoring Musings of a Flexible Being, and I look forward to sharing my journey with you. Thank you! Theresa Martinez-Shapiro Flexible Being Website: www.flexiblebeing.com Socials: Facebook: @flexiblebeingonline Instagram:@theresamartinezshapiro Instagram: @flexiblebeing
