PINK Magazine-February 2017
All right, I guess we all know that love is Not really all you need. I mean food, clothing, a house, a car, friends, a glass of wine-I could go on and on. Honestly though, love is not a bad place to start-especially in February with Valentine’s Day and all. They say that “Love conquers all” and I think there is a lot to that kind of thinking too. I would like to dedicate some thoughts to not just that idea but to a lot of related things that have been floating around recently in magazines and web sites.
The concept is about kindness. I saw a couple of month ago the cover of a magazine that said “Throw Kindness like Confetti” and it started me thinking about all of the different ways we could be kind to each other. Pay it forward is an idea that I am so intrigued with I have done it myself many times in the last month. It is sort of a New Year’s Resolution. I put a neighbor’s newspaper on the porch out of the rain. I substituted in a volunteer slot for a sick friend and I did something I really did not want to do but I sure felt good afterward because my friend let me know how much she appreciated what I did. I saw two kids sharing a burger and fries at Burger King and I paid for two Whoppers and had the server take them over after I left. I get that these are small things, but I am on a roll with good deeds so I am just saying-watch out!
Another idea that I saw online was a big badge/pin that said “I’m Listening.” I thought that said a whole lot of things. Do you really listen when someone is trying to tell you something that is important to them? Do you care? Do you show you care? Do you think about how they are hoping you will respond? Let’s step back for a minute from politics and other hot topics and just take a second to hear what a real conversation might be about. Might a person need something from you like support or a confidence boost or validation of an idea? It might be very easy to simply say the right thing and back it up when you are called upon to do so. I baby sit for my grandson sometimes and I “listen” to what my children say about how they feel about his food and his care. I love to have him and I know they are grateful. We listen to each other and we have made this work. Think about a situation you may be faced with and how perhaps a solution could be right there waiting to be discovered through simple communication.
Random acts of kindness have been around for a while, but I still love the idea. You just simply do something totally unplanned for someone else. Maybe you know them and maybe you don’t. That is unimportant. The important thing is that this may become like a pay it forward and inspire someone else and someone else perhaps in an infinite chain reaction. What a lovely thought. As my daily random act, I try to greet people I see or meet. I see people all over the place regularly and I always say Hello or Good Morning or my favorite, Have a Blessed Day. A greeting and a smile could make another person’s day. I know it makes mine!
Finally, here is a new word to put in your vocabulary and in your heart. The word is empathy. Empathy means the art of putting yourself in another person’s position. It is the old “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” idea. It means being non-judgmental. Going back to the beginning words about love, just think about what we could mean to each other if we loved non- judgmentally. Diversity, alternate lifestyles, economic disparity, and I could go on and on with things that separate us. How about things that we all have in common?
Skating Up Hill is about living a healthy lifestyle so what’s with all of this lecturing about “feel good” crap? Well, ok smart aleck, study after study has shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that people who are emotionally healthy are much more physically healthy, live longer, and have a better quality of life. My mom always used to say to me and my brother before we left for school in the morning, “Now remember to be nice.” I am now saying that to you. Be kind. Be empathetic, and just be nice! Love Judith
Update News Alert-Skating Up Hill is now a blog. Yes, you can go on line with Google and go to www.skatinguphill.com and find new articles, old articles, food tips and recipes, daily intentions with quotes to live by, and much more. Add your comments and questions to the BLOG and be a part of something good.