...is fucking creepy:
You have a wisdom beyond your years. Even as a child, your understanding of life was considerable, though it likely went unrecognized by others.
You are a born peacemaker. You are driven by a desire to settle conflicts and create harmony. You are a healer and a visionary. You long to make the world a better place, and cannot rest until you have dedicated your life to some worthwhile cause.
Your realm is ideas and philosophy. You are attracted to the world of energy more than to the mechanical or material planes. Philosophy, religion, and less traditional forms of healing are among your specialties.
You are obsessed with the quest for enlightenment.
You are extremely sensitive and possess a high degree of intuition. Subtle messages and feelings of others do not escape your attention. You are powerfully aware of the thoughts and feelings of others. Unless you are well grounded, this can throw you about emotionally. Your awareness can be both a gift as well as a problem, because you so deeply desire to please others and keep harmony in your environment.
Many 11s were born into extremely hostile or turbulent families. This often resulted in psychological pain, lack of confidence, and shyness during childhood. Somehow, the child with an 11 heart's desire recognized the sources of his family's problem. This created an internal conflict for the child, who naturally loved the troubled parent, but could not cope with that parent's behavior.
Therefore, many 11s are scarred early in life. They understand the sufferings of others and seek to be of service in some way.
This is, in fact, the easiest way for you to heal yourself and find your greatest satisfaction.
You understand the importance of close, loving relationships. Therefore, you are selective in choosing your friends and spouse. You are a romantic, idealistic, but somewhat impractical person. Unless you have other balancing characteristics (as indicated by 1s, 4s, and 8s in your chart), it is wise to team up with a more practical and realistic partner.
You have a magnetic and charismatic personality. You like pondering abstract matters. Your intelligence is electric. Ideas, solutions to problems, and inventions seem to come to you as if out of the blue.
You are highly charged and intense. This can cause nervous tension. You need to care for your nervous system with ample amounts of rest, a peaceful environment, and proper diet -- avoiding extreme foods and drugs.
You are often more concerned with universal justice than with the individual.
The 11 is a master number, possessing great potential. It has been entrusted to you as a gift that you are worthy of. The key is to maintain a hold on your ideals and seek ways to practically implement them.
You have a specific role and gift to give to the world. This requires time and maturity to fully comprehend. But with patience and perseverance, you will discover why you felt different and even unique as a child. At that time, you will discover that what made you feel weak as a child will make you strong and confident as a mature adult.
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Purge...
How To Tell Your Best Friend That You Are in Love With Him: A how-to column by Bridgette Brady, who has no idea.
First of all, be sure that you are, in fact, in love with your best friend. You will know that you are when, after 9 years of friendship, you suddenly realize that were he to exit your life in some manner, you could not possibly function, and that somewhere in the back of your mind, you are looking forward to your 35th birthday because that's when your Plan B agreement with him merits a true discussion of whether or not you want to go through with it. Realizing that you keep leaving each other for stretches of time for other things, but always seem to get right back to it after 5 minutes of awkward catching up like no time has passed at all.
Also, if he has consistently dated stupid 19 year olds because they have curly hair or are skanky, or like cars, but have no substance whatsoever, and then, all of sudden he starts dating a girl who looks like you, kind of, and you are so wracked with jealousy that you can't even look in their general direction, and it causes you to write giant run-on sentences about the issue, you should probably take some time to figure out where that jealousy is coming from.
Thirdly, if he hugs you the same as he always has, and that is something you look forward to subconciously, but then it makes you nervous because you're worried that you are suddenly standing closer to him, or holding on to him a little bit longer than you should, maybe, and so all you really want to do is hug him but you're too anxious about it to do it, but then you think that maybe he will see something in your hesitance, and you're still writing run-on sentences, what more proof do you need, for crying out loud?
Okay, so does he love you back that way? Let's see...girl who looks like you? Maybe. Comments about how awesome you are? Maybe. But he's sort of always done that, and that's why you like him. General demeanor which includes more hand touching and texting than usual? Maybe...and definitely enough to make you think something should be said.Agreeing to be engaged to you, even if just for fun? Maybe. Telling you that even though you are jealous of his new girlfriend, he is not jealous at all when YOU date someone? Maybe not.
See? Maybe, maybe, maybe not.
What's there to lose? Perhaps it's something that, once said, solves every major issue you have about yourself, right? Maybe it's forever and ever and wonderful and easy and comfortable and great and full of babies and laughing and kissing and home repairs and vacations and fighting and making up. Then again, maybe it's something that, once said, takes your best friend away from you forever. Maybe he will freak out and get mad even, because you've changed everything without asking him.
Maybe he already knows and is dreading the day you finally say it.
Maybe he wants to say it but can't, just like you.
Maybe you say it, try it out, and it doesn't fit. Would that be the end of the world? Yeah, it would a little.
So many maybes and so much to lose, and so much disappointment in my lack of fearlessness on this one.
And then how to say it:
Hey, I think I'm in love with you.
That's all it is right there. Eight words total, including the greeting, and I cannot get them to exit my face in his presence.
Or something less direct? Maybe flowers, a CD, cookies, meatpies, cake, or Christmas dinner. Except I already did all that. If it can be SHOWN, it has been, and he hasn't said anything, which shatters my confidence and leads me to think that I am WAY off. And I'm too scared to be grossly obvious, and I'm sure he knows me well enough to know that THAT'S how I do it, with flowers, a CD, cookies, meatpies, cake, and Christmas dinner. That's how I've always done it, and he's witnessed that sad approach at least 10 times. How could he not see that?
The fear and the unknown of it has me crippled. I can't risk it, nor can I say it, but I can't deal with it, either. If it was anyone else, he's the one I would talk to about it. I'm as confused and embarassed as I was when I was 13 years old, for crying out loud. And I think about it so much that it is completely overthought to the point where I think I've fabricated the emotion itself to deal with lonliness, aging, and stagnation in my life. So, I don't know for sure that I really AM in love with him, which brings me back to Step One up there, and then I cycle through this whole blog again.
I'm 34 years old. I know enough to know that if someone sticks to you that long, there's more to it. Girls that stick like that will be your very best until the day you die, and you're lucky to have ONE of them. Boys that stick like that are either interested or think they might be someday. They think you're good enough to hang on to, but not ready yet or not quite sure...as long as you are somewhat available. For real, how many NOT gay very close male friends do you still have after you're married? And how many of them are this boy? Who fixes your broken things, gives you money, picks you up every time you need it, wraps his arms around you because things are good, wraps his arms around you because things are bad, and wraps his arms around you because it's Tuesday? And will back up your ghost story because he was there for it? And what boy would, one time only, wake up in the middle of the night for your phone call and let you sleep there because you were so heartbroken that you didn't think you would make it through, then hold you like a vice and never mention it again because you were embarassed to be so weak as to need that?
A boy who loves you does that, right?
Right?
Terrified of yes, terrified of no? Terrified of not saying anything?
Maybe he reads your blog.
First of all, be sure that you are, in fact, in love with your best friend. You will know that you are when, after 9 years of friendship, you suddenly realize that were he to exit your life in some manner, you could not possibly function, and that somewhere in the back of your mind, you are looking forward to your 35th birthday because that's when your Plan B agreement with him merits a true discussion of whether or not you want to go through with it. Realizing that you keep leaving each other for stretches of time for other things, but always seem to get right back to it after 5 minutes of awkward catching up like no time has passed at all.
Also, if he has consistently dated stupid 19 year olds because they have curly hair or are skanky, or like cars, but have no substance whatsoever, and then, all of sudden he starts dating a girl who looks like you, kind of, and you are so wracked with jealousy that you can't even look in their general direction, and it causes you to write giant run-on sentences about the issue, you should probably take some time to figure out where that jealousy is coming from.
Thirdly, if he hugs you the same as he always has, and that is something you look forward to subconciously, but then it makes you nervous because you're worried that you are suddenly standing closer to him, or holding on to him a little bit longer than you should, maybe, and so all you really want to do is hug him but you're too anxious about it to do it, but then you think that maybe he will see something in your hesitance, and you're still writing run-on sentences, what more proof do you need, for crying out loud?
Okay, so does he love you back that way? Let's see...girl who looks like you? Maybe. Comments about how awesome you are? Maybe. But he's sort of always done that, and that's why you like him. General demeanor which includes more hand touching and texting than usual? Maybe...and definitely enough to make you think something should be said.Agreeing to be engaged to you, even if just for fun? Maybe. Telling you that even though you are jealous of his new girlfriend, he is not jealous at all when YOU date someone? Maybe not.
See? Maybe, maybe, maybe not.
What's there to lose? Perhaps it's something that, once said, solves every major issue you have about yourself, right? Maybe it's forever and ever and wonderful and easy and comfortable and great and full of babies and laughing and kissing and home repairs and vacations and fighting and making up. Then again, maybe it's something that, once said, takes your best friend away from you forever. Maybe he will freak out and get mad even, because you've changed everything without asking him.
Maybe he already knows and is dreading the day you finally say it.
Maybe he wants to say it but can't, just like you.
Maybe you say it, try it out, and it doesn't fit. Would that be the end of the world? Yeah, it would a little.
So many maybes and so much to lose, and so much disappointment in my lack of fearlessness on this one.
And then how to say it:
Hey, I think I'm in love with you.
That's all it is right there. Eight words total, including the greeting, and I cannot get them to exit my face in his presence.
Or something less direct? Maybe flowers, a CD, cookies, meatpies, cake, or Christmas dinner. Except I already did all that. If it can be SHOWN, it has been, and he hasn't said anything, which shatters my confidence and leads me to think that I am WAY off. And I'm too scared to be grossly obvious, and I'm sure he knows me well enough to know that THAT'S how I do it, with flowers, a CD, cookies, meatpies, cake, and Christmas dinner. That's how I've always done it, and he's witnessed that sad approach at least 10 times. How could he not see that?
The fear and the unknown of it has me crippled. I can't risk it, nor can I say it, but I can't deal with it, either. If it was anyone else, he's the one I would talk to about it. I'm as confused and embarassed as I was when I was 13 years old, for crying out loud. And I think about it so much that it is completely overthought to the point where I think I've fabricated the emotion itself to deal with lonliness, aging, and stagnation in my life. So, I don't know for sure that I really AM in love with him, which brings me back to Step One up there, and then I cycle through this whole blog again.
I'm 34 years old. I know enough to know that if someone sticks to you that long, there's more to it. Girls that stick like that will be your very best until the day you die, and you're lucky to have ONE of them. Boys that stick like that are either interested or think they might be someday. They think you're good enough to hang on to, but not ready yet or not quite sure...as long as you are somewhat available. For real, how many NOT gay very close male friends do you still have after you're married? And how many of them are this boy? Who fixes your broken things, gives you money, picks you up every time you need it, wraps his arms around you because things are good, wraps his arms around you because things are bad, and wraps his arms around you because it's Tuesday? And will back up your ghost story because he was there for it? And what boy would, one time only, wake up in the middle of the night for your phone call and let you sleep there because you were so heartbroken that you didn't think you would make it through, then hold you like a vice and never mention it again because you were embarassed to be so weak as to need that?
A boy who loves you does that, right?
Right?
Terrified of yes, terrified of no? Terrified of not saying anything?
Maybe he reads your blog.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Something ELSE I love about the Obamas..
Michelle's dress. I'm obsessed with the idea of it. Does ANYone ever wear ANYthing more important? I mean, sure, wedding gown, mother-of-the-bride dress, yadda yadda. But how often does one's husband become President? And how often is he the first A-A President? And how often are the hopes of so many pinned upon one's husband? I mean, come on. That is one important dress. Whatever she wears, we will all look toward her in her First Lady-ness in this new Camelot and fashion ourselves accordingly. It's been a while since I have indulged myself in the frivolities of being an American consumer who, though protheletizing against the dangers of excess in our lives, secretly drools all over pictures of Prada couture and imagines the day when she can be the smallest size of her life and still only fit into the biggest Prada dress made for her very best friend's wedding in August.
*Sigh.*
Anyway. I'm voting for Betsey Johnson, but I'm sure she won't choose it. It's so vibrant and hopeful, if a dress can be all that, and the way she's sketched Michelle's face? She GETS it. And the dress reflects it. Secondly, Koi. I love the idea of black cardigan sweater on formalwear. I do it every chance I get. It's like, "Say, I'm the First Lady, and I have the most awesome gown ever made for the coolest event in American History, but I'm also chilly. And practical. It's January." Thirdly, Kai Milla. Just elegant and beautiful. And brown. I put the LaCroix up there because even though I LIKE it, it's frightfully ostentacious, which is how I feel about most things on the label, to be honest. Creative and forward, yes. But far, far too much.
As for the actual day outfit, I can't seem to get them to post properly, but I have to go with the DVF: http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/dressing-the-first-lady-1875632#/slideshow/article/1875632/1876135
Look at it. It's gorgeous. It sets a marvelous, appropriately regal but classic tone, and the color is delightful.
She's gonna be great, don't you think?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
A service on compassion...
So, for my UU church, I was asked to give a service. It's my first one, and though I am familiar with the basic agenda of our services, presenting one is an entirely different thing. Therefore, I am posting as a blog that which I have assembled thus far. Please comment. It's a little long, but it's most of what I wish to say:
Living a Compassionate Life
by Bridgette Brady
"A small boy lived by the ocean. He loved the creatures of the sea, especially the starfish, and spent much of his time exploring the seashore. One day he learned there would be a minus tide that would leave the starfish stranded on the sand. The day of the tide he went down to the beach and began picking up stranded starfish and tossing them back into the sea. An elderly man who lived next door came down to the beach to see what he was doing. "I'm saving the starfish," the boy proudly declared. When the neighbor saw all of the stranded starfish, he shook his head and said "I'm sorry to disappoint you, young man, buf if you look down the beach one way, there are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see. And if you look down the beach the other way, it's the same. One little boy like you isn't going to make much of a difference." The boy thought about this for a moment. Then he reached his small hand down to the sand, picked up a starfish, tossed it out into the ocean and said, "I sure made a difference for that one."
Compassion is innate to our souls. Compassion is what connects us to each other. I will borrow some words today from Thich Nhat Hahn and the Buddist idealogy to encourage and explain how a compassionate life makes you happier, fulfilled, and can help you find peace in the midst of torment and tragedy. Loving is a mind that brings peace, joy, and happiness to another being. Compassionate is a mind that removes the suffering that is present in another being. We all have the seeds of both love and compassion in our minds and know, somewhere, that a simple act of compassion is a perfect thing; it is it's own reward. While we can argue that nothing we ever do is truly selfless, compassion is, by nature, as self-serving as it is charitable. When you know that you have done good, when you have brought light into the dark, no matter how small the flame, you have changed someone or something for the better. It makes YOU feel better. It's almost selfish, actually, except for the fact that you have shared it with the world. For if your kindness in mirrored in another, and another, the change you have caused is immeasurable.
Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with". When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born within us. And I think that we, as UU's, are openly compassionate by nature. We realize the suffering around us, acknowledging that all people and beings suffer in some manner. From poverty, from fear, from oppression, from loneliness..from all those things that disconnect us from each other. But by living compassionately- by listening and doing and loving and helping- we remove some of the suffering in the world. It brings joy and love into our own hearts and relieves the suffering we feel privately in our lives.
Which brings me to the actual subject of Living a Compassionate Life. What does it mean and how do we do it? Certainly, no one is perfect. But in striving for perfection, we come to know our strengths and weaknesses. To me, a compassionate life is simply staying open to others despite my busy-ness, my personal struggles, my finances, and my own life. Specifically, it means mindful attention of my own power to good, cause change, and relieve suffering where I see it. It is the ability and trust in myself to do the right thing, take time to listen to what people are really saying, and, without fanfare and pats on the back, do what I can to make things easier for them. It's a little extra snowblowing, the change on the floor of my truck when I clean it, two bags of dogfood instead of one, phone calls to people I know are alone, cookies for the recently broken hearted, publicity for an event, a ride to the grocery store, and the most simple, basic acts of kindness.
Compassion is mentioned in various dogmas as a tenet of almost every faith on the planet. From Jesus' teaching to 'do unto others you would have done unto you' to Buddha's statement, 'In compassion lies the world's great strength'. Compassion can easily extend to the more strict principles of monks, who live by the idea that we are all inherently equal as we live, and that we must strive every moment to never unnecessarily harm any other living beings, but that's way easier said than done, as anyone who's ever lived a vegan, vegetarian, or fruitarian lifestyle can attest. Try getting through a summer day without killing a bug, for example, and you'll see how much compassion you really do have inside of you.
While I certainly won't lecture on or espouse that kind of strict discipline to you, what I do want to stress is just how easy it is to live a MORE compassionate life. Mindfulness and attention to all the life around you will yield endless opportunities for happiness and chances to be compassionate. And trust me...when you lie down at night knowing that you did good every time you could, that no matter how many bad things happened to you or how stressed you were that day, a life was, if only momentarily, made better because you came into it...you'll rest a little easier every day. It does wonders for your ego, your self-worth, and your ability to manage emotional crises.
Start simply by going home today after this very service and put your plants in the best possible window, even if it means changing your furniture around a little. They'll let you know in two days how much they appreciate it. Be as happy to see your dog as he is to see you. Every time. Take her for an extra long walk as soon as you can manage it. Remember to do that as often as possible. Think of your neighbors. Shovel a little more or send them a card to thank them for being great or for always having a nice yard. Thank store clerks and cashiers for their hard work. Include a note with a tip to say thank you for the service. Send cards to soldiers. Visit the elderly. Sing with children. Donate what you can in time and money. Most importantly, never let a chance to make a change pass you by. If you think of it, do it. There's a guy who walks by the station every morning and picks cigarette butts out of our ashcan. Every once in a while, when we think of it, we put a full pack in there for him or a five dollar bill. It's that easy.
If you're feeling adventurous, try being vegetarian one day a week as a compassionate act toward animals, or if you must eat meat, bring some toys out to the animal shelter. I started my own change toward a compassionate existence a year ago when I went to work for PETA for a week. Now, I'm not here to champion that cause at all, I just mention it to illustrate how I came to be such a proponent of this movement. After that week, I realized that you can write letters, shout from the rooftops, argue, protest, demostrate, and fight and be a visible, public warrior, or you can choose to live by example. Shouting and scare tactics will get you noticed, but living what you believe will get you heard. Without drawing attention to yourself, you can make a far deeper impression by helping one person at a time, as often as you can. I am amazed at the peaceful, calming change that has come over me in this past year since I have made a point of living by example my argument for compassionate choices. And the hidden benefit, which I never expected, is that I am proud of myself and trust completely that I will do the right thing whenever I find myself tested.
Instead of getting angry on those days when the transmission blows up, the gas was all siphoned out of the snowblower, the dogs tore up the couch, the roof has sprung an urgent leak, the work is all on my shoulders, and I usually would feel like fate is against me, I approach it with an inward peace and say, "I must need to do some good today since all this bad has happened." Then I go out and look for it. I drop off old clothes, write a thank you card, hold doors for old people, smile at everyone, offer a hand wherever it's needed, and shortly, the day isn't as bad as it seemed.
You can make a tremendous difference. And you can do it every day. Not just for others, but for yourself. Compassion is what connects us..the ability to recognize and feel the pain and happiness in others and to share or relieve it is what makes us human. Compassion is within every person, and unfortunately, it's become buried under activities, entitlement, selfishness and greed. To paraphrase the Dalai Lama on the subject, compassion and a good heart are developed through constant and conscious effort. If we all start to nurture it within ourselves, we start to nurture it in the world.
Living a Compassionate Life
by Bridgette Brady
"A small boy lived by the ocean. He loved the creatures of the sea, especially the starfish, and spent much of his time exploring the seashore. One day he learned there would be a minus tide that would leave the starfish stranded on the sand. The day of the tide he went down to the beach and began picking up stranded starfish and tossing them back into the sea. An elderly man who lived next door came down to the beach to see what he was doing. "I'm saving the starfish," the boy proudly declared. When the neighbor saw all of the stranded starfish, he shook his head and said "I'm sorry to disappoint you, young man, buf if you look down the beach one way, there are stranded starfish as far as the eye can see. And if you look down the beach the other way, it's the same. One little boy like you isn't going to make much of a difference." The boy thought about this for a moment. Then he reached his small hand down to the sand, picked up a starfish, tossed it out into the ocean and said, "I sure made a difference for that one."
Compassion is innate to our souls. Compassion is what connects us to each other. I will borrow some words today from Thich Nhat Hahn and the Buddist idealogy to encourage and explain how a compassionate life makes you happier, fulfilled, and can help you find peace in the midst of torment and tragedy. Loving is a mind that brings peace, joy, and happiness to another being. Compassionate is a mind that removes the suffering that is present in another being. We all have the seeds of both love and compassion in our minds and know, somewhere, that a simple act of compassion is a perfect thing; it is it's own reward. While we can argue that nothing we ever do is truly selfless, compassion is, by nature, as self-serving as it is charitable. When you know that you have done good, when you have brought light into the dark, no matter how small the flame, you have changed someone or something for the better. It makes YOU feel better. It's almost selfish, actually, except for the fact that you have shared it with the world. For if your kindness in mirrored in another, and another, the change you have caused is immeasurable.
Compassion means, literally, "to suffer with". When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born within us. And I think that we, as UU's, are openly compassionate by nature. We realize the suffering around us, acknowledging that all people and beings suffer in some manner. From poverty, from fear, from oppression, from loneliness..from all those things that disconnect us from each other. But by living compassionately- by listening and doing and loving and helping- we remove some of the suffering in the world. It brings joy and love into our own hearts and relieves the suffering we feel privately in our lives.
Which brings me to the actual subject of Living a Compassionate Life. What does it mean and how do we do it? Certainly, no one is perfect. But in striving for perfection, we come to know our strengths and weaknesses. To me, a compassionate life is simply staying open to others despite my busy-ness, my personal struggles, my finances, and my own life. Specifically, it means mindful attention of my own power to good, cause change, and relieve suffering where I see it. It is the ability and trust in myself to do the right thing, take time to listen to what people are really saying, and, without fanfare and pats on the back, do what I can to make things easier for them. It's a little extra snowblowing, the change on the floor of my truck when I clean it, two bags of dogfood instead of one, phone calls to people I know are alone, cookies for the recently broken hearted, publicity for an event, a ride to the grocery store, and the most simple, basic acts of kindness.
Compassion is mentioned in various dogmas as a tenet of almost every faith on the planet. From Jesus' teaching to 'do unto others you would have done unto you' to Buddha's statement, 'In compassion lies the world's great strength'. Compassion can easily extend to the more strict principles of monks, who live by the idea that we are all inherently equal as we live, and that we must strive every moment to never unnecessarily harm any other living beings, but that's way easier said than done, as anyone who's ever lived a vegan, vegetarian, or fruitarian lifestyle can attest. Try getting through a summer day without killing a bug, for example, and you'll see how much compassion you really do have inside of you.
While I certainly won't lecture on or espouse that kind of strict discipline to you, what I do want to stress is just how easy it is to live a MORE compassionate life. Mindfulness and attention to all the life around you will yield endless opportunities for happiness and chances to be compassionate. And trust me...when you lie down at night knowing that you did good every time you could, that no matter how many bad things happened to you or how stressed you were that day, a life was, if only momentarily, made better because you came into it...you'll rest a little easier every day. It does wonders for your ego, your self-worth, and your ability to manage emotional crises.
Start simply by going home today after this very service and put your plants in the best possible window, even if it means changing your furniture around a little. They'll let you know in two days how much they appreciate it. Be as happy to see your dog as he is to see you. Every time. Take her for an extra long walk as soon as you can manage it. Remember to do that as often as possible. Think of your neighbors. Shovel a little more or send them a card to thank them for being great or for always having a nice yard. Thank store clerks and cashiers for their hard work. Include a note with a tip to say thank you for the service. Send cards to soldiers. Visit the elderly. Sing with children. Donate what you can in time and money. Most importantly, never let a chance to make a change pass you by. If you think of it, do it. There's a guy who walks by the station every morning and picks cigarette butts out of our ashcan. Every once in a while, when we think of it, we put a full pack in there for him or a five dollar bill. It's that easy.
If you're feeling adventurous, try being vegetarian one day a week as a compassionate act toward animals, or if you must eat meat, bring some toys out to the animal shelter. I started my own change toward a compassionate existence a year ago when I went to work for PETA for a week. Now, I'm not here to champion that cause at all, I just mention it to illustrate how I came to be such a proponent of this movement. After that week, I realized that you can write letters, shout from the rooftops, argue, protest, demostrate, and fight and be a visible, public warrior, or you can choose to live by example. Shouting and scare tactics will get you noticed, but living what you believe will get you heard. Without drawing attention to yourself, you can make a far deeper impression by helping one person at a time, as often as you can. I am amazed at the peaceful, calming change that has come over me in this past year since I have made a point of living by example my argument for compassionate choices. And the hidden benefit, which I never expected, is that I am proud of myself and trust completely that I will do the right thing whenever I find myself tested.
Instead of getting angry on those days when the transmission blows up, the gas was all siphoned out of the snowblower, the dogs tore up the couch, the roof has sprung an urgent leak, the work is all on my shoulders, and I usually would feel like fate is against me, I approach it with an inward peace and say, "I must need to do some good today since all this bad has happened." Then I go out and look for it. I drop off old clothes, write a thank you card, hold doors for old people, smile at everyone, offer a hand wherever it's needed, and shortly, the day isn't as bad as it seemed.
You can make a tremendous difference. And you can do it every day. Not just for others, but for yourself. Compassion is what connects us..the ability to recognize and feel the pain and happiness in others and to share or relieve it is what makes us human. Compassion is within every person, and unfortunately, it's become buried under activities, entitlement, selfishness and greed. To paraphrase the Dalai Lama on the subject, compassion and a good heart are developed through constant and conscious effort. If we all start to nurture it within ourselves, we start to nurture it in the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)