Many people today are upset and bewildered by “big” events, both political (man-made) and natural disasters (Hurricanes, floods, & fires).
A good friend of mine recommended each of us do what we can to make lives better for those within our own circles. A close relative made a similar suggestion. I don’t think these two people know each other but both are well worth listening to and they got me thinking.
One thing that came to mind is the so called Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
I also recalled a story I read about a Jewish prisoner during WWII who was able to withstand terrible beatings and other atrocities in part by controlling his mind. He could not stop the beatings, but he could control how he reacted to them. He chose love and forgiveness rather than hatred.
I’m not sure if I could duplicate the response and strength of the Jewish prisoner, but I did get the point about us each being able to control our own reactions.
There are a lot of things we can control in addition to our own reactions, most have to do with the people around us.
I’ve heard it said that we rarely remember what people say, but we do remember how they made us feel. I think this is true. As a young little leaguer, I remember one of the few times a coach complimented me. “Nice Hustle Simpson”, said the assistant coach as I trotted/ran in from right field after the opponents’ third out. I was never very good at baseball and coaches tended (probably still do) to focus on the players with the best potential. I can’t remember the coach’s name, but he did for that one moment make me feel successful.
Although I have opinions (some of them very strong) about politicians and the “big” issues, in reality, there is not a whole lot I can do about them. I also don’t really know any of the big players personally so have to rely on others for my information. This is not the case with people around me, even if I don’t know them by name, I can look them in the eye, recognize their existence, and, as appropriate, say something positive to them.
We each have this opportunity every day to make someone we come in contact with feel appreciated, even people we don’t even know. “Thanks”, “Keep up the good work”, “I appreciate…” or even just a friendly smile can help. These kind words can be very powerful, and they cost us nothing.
In the grand scheme of things most of us are pretty small, but there are a lot of us. Kindness, even just a little, can change people’s lives positively. A lot of kind people can make a real difference.
