'finding good in everyday life'
Could the way I show care to others affect the way they care for themselves?
This is especially true with children.
If I don’t show care to them perhaps they won’t care adequately for themselves.
Yet – as I respect them, they will understand and learn how to respect themselves.
In a nutshell, we teach them how to care for and respect themselves and then they learn how to care for and respect others – because of how we cared for them.
This is why we need others…why we need to be the ‘others’ who call or stop by to check on them.
Every one of us has down times where we feel like giving up. ‘Forget it! Not Interested! Leave me alone! I quit!’
This is where us ‘others’ have to be alert and step in. Call your friend. Speak to the co- worker. Stop by the neighbors. Send flowers to somebody. Just say ‘hi, how’re you doing to a stranger’.
And when we’re at the place where – ‘I just don’t care anymore!’… we can ‘self-medicate’ by forcing ourselves to do something good and helpful for somebody else. Maybe don’t want to interact face to face but get outside. Sweep the walk, clean the garage, wash the window on the door, organize the junk drawer. Turn on some pretty music and light a candle. Make a cup of coffee. Read a good book and find something funny to laugh and laugh and laugh about.
These steps will pull us out of the land of the ‘I don’t cares’ faster than any therapy!
Let’s get moving, there’s work to be done, people to help and encourage and time is wastin’.
Don’t leave yourself adrift in the wrangling waves of other passing ships.
Set down your anchor so you’re not cast around by their wake.
‘Once again lady, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!’
OK. Here it is. Stay tied, docked to the truth – to what you know to be true, and become immovable! Don’t let all the lapping waves of other’s tongues cause you to change your mind and follow an aimless path out to sea where there’s no focus, no left, right, up or down!
This world – our world, your world, my world, needs strong, stable (anchored) individuals to hold things steady for smaller vessels floating around unsure where to land and anchor.
Can we each firm ourselves up in what we know to be true and yet be open to see where we may have believed someone else’s falsehoods?
It takes effort – but work to shore yourself up in the harbor of truth so passing ships will not pull you off course.
Mrs. Goodfinder 