I suppose many people who made New Year’s resolutions could be doubting their choices or even missing their goals.
That’s why I didn’t make any this year. It seems the ambitions to exercise more, be nicer, and eat healthier are rather unattainable when we set them before us as areas of obsession.
What I did find that sparked my curiosity is a list of statements one should read often so that maybe, just maybe, some of those thoughts will spew from the mouth when most needed.
The idea is to build up a child, to encourage and strengthen the little one. As I read over the list multiple times, though, I realized that age didn’t need to be a factor.
The basic premise is love, appreciation, acceptance, forgiveness, encouragement, and kindness. It is to learn the value of giving, the need to slow down, the joy of listening, and the hope of wishes. We all need to do better in these areas.
I applaud those who can spend January, February, March, and many more months on treadmills, at gyms, counting calories, and eating healthy. We should take care of our bodies. We should also seek to improve the lives of those around us.
Tell someone you love him or her. Let the person know that you will always possess that love.
Remind a friend of just how amazing he or she is. Share in the one-of-a-kind personality we each have. It isn’t just what we can do that makes us amazing, but who we are.
Know that crying is okay. It comes in moments of sadness, happiness, fear, and pride. Those of all ages can cry when angry, afraid or lonely.
Admit mistakes. Let those around you know that you can accept when you are wrong and that you will work to improve and fix the problems.
Forgive. None of us are perfect. We’ve all been hurt. Grudges only bring suffering to those who hold them.
Show pride in those who make good decisions and acknowledge that many choices are difficult to make. Especially encourage children when they make the right decision as it isn’t always easy to do. Many of us have knowingly made the wrong decisions as it seemed to be the easiest choice.
Understand that change is sometimes necessary. Allow others to have the freedom to alter choices.
Encourage kindness in others. Do something thoughtful and helpful for others as it will make you feel good inside.
Acknowledge good ideas and give credit. Show interest in how people arrived at their decisions.
Listen to others. Ask questions about them and what they have been doing and then listen to the answers. Have a conversation about someone besides yourself.
Talk about your hopes, your dreams, your wishes. Ask others about theirs. Believe that tomorrow will be brighter.
Surprise people. It can be with something very small. It can be for no occasion at all.
Stop rushing. Take time and watch as those around you begin to relax as well.
Let someone else choose the agenda for the day or even an activity to do.
And it never hurts to use manners and kind words when talking with others, to remind people that you miss them when they are gone, and to let friends and family know that you are willing to help them conquer whatever comes their way.
I wouldn’t be who I am today if so many people in my life over the years hadn’t followed these basic principles.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
A Simple Trip
It was a simple trip to the grocery store to get some eggs. I had bananas pleading by their darkening color for me to craft them into a baked masterpiece. At the same time, I had a four-year-old boy begging for banana bread.
As the boys played a new game on the computer and Todd watched a television show, I decided to take just about 20 minutes of time to go to the store for eggs and oil — ingredients I lacked to create this fruity delicacy.
I noticed snow fall, but it seemed minor in detail. I spent a bit longer in the store than expected, about 15 minutes total. While the trip to town seemed uneventful, little did I know what the ride home would become. The snow, now heavier, covered the roads. Quickly I realized that they deserved careful driving attention due to apparent slickness. With my hands locked into the 10 and 2 position, I began to drive home, reaching speeds of just 35 miles per hour at the most.
About a half mile from my house, I started to slide. First one way, then another. I tried to correct, but couldn’t stop. According to the very nice driver and his wife in the car behind me, I nicked a guardrail which sent me sliding to the opposite side of the road and into a ditch. I smashed into the hillside, rolled the vehicle and on the second trip around decided to stop on the roof.
I hung there for just a second, realizing I first needed to find the door handle (a little tricker when hanging upside down). I kicked open the door and then put my foot above me to catch myself before releasing the seat belt and falling on my head.
I crawled out unmarked, unharmed. Considering the shape of my vehicle, I can only thank God for that protection.
While happy to be okay, I was frustrated that my car that I have babied for six years and just paid off not even two months ago was now totalled.
Everyone who stopped to help me that night — from passersby to emergency personnel — were simply amazing. I can’t say thanks enough to them.
It was a slick night. Even the ambulance slid a few feet once stopping. And after the wrecker stopped, it also began to slide toward the ambulance. Todd (who some of my friends have nicknamed Rescue Todd for his efforts to always try and help others) did just what our friends would have expected him to do. He jumped in the passenger side of the wrecker, climbed across, and steered it away from the ambulance and then stopped it. I’m glad he came to the scene to check on me.
As for the eggs, a fireman brought me one he thought hadn’t cracked all over my car and me. It was still in the right shape, but leaking. The groceries suffered a much worse fate than did I. About an hour after I made it home, though, my godparents walked over to our house with eggs in tow. I had to smile.
Sometimes in life we become frustrated with people and the world around us. We begin to think that so many are only concerned about themselves and that few still care about others. An evening like this — one that was just to be a simple trip to the grocery store — demonstrated the kindness of others.
Those living across from the wreck scene even gathered up any remaining things that had flown from one of the many broken windows in my vehicle and brought them to me later in the week. Some pennies, a broken necklace, a beaded chain made by the boys, a few drawings Creed had created, Heath’s whistle — all things that could have easily been overlooked in the snow and mud. Jackie Perkins put a small note in the bag “found this, thought you might want it back.”
Wow! From volunteer firefighters to helpful neighbors to strangers passing by to those bearing eggs as gifts — my faith in people, while never gone, is definitely renewed.
As the boys played a new game on the computer and Todd watched a television show, I decided to take just about 20 minutes of time to go to the store for eggs and oil — ingredients I lacked to create this fruity delicacy.
I noticed snow fall, but it seemed minor in detail. I spent a bit longer in the store than expected, about 15 minutes total. While the trip to town seemed uneventful, little did I know what the ride home would become. The snow, now heavier, covered the roads. Quickly I realized that they deserved careful driving attention due to apparent slickness. With my hands locked into the 10 and 2 position, I began to drive home, reaching speeds of just 35 miles per hour at the most.
About a half mile from my house, I started to slide. First one way, then another. I tried to correct, but couldn’t stop. According to the very nice driver and his wife in the car behind me, I nicked a guardrail which sent me sliding to the opposite side of the road and into a ditch. I smashed into the hillside, rolled the vehicle and on the second trip around decided to stop on the roof.
I hung there for just a second, realizing I first needed to find the door handle (a little tricker when hanging upside down). I kicked open the door and then put my foot above me to catch myself before releasing the seat belt and falling on my head.
I crawled out unmarked, unharmed. Considering the shape of my vehicle, I can only thank God for that protection.
While happy to be okay, I was frustrated that my car that I have babied for six years and just paid off not even two months ago was now totalled.
Everyone who stopped to help me that night — from passersby to emergency personnel — were simply amazing. I can’t say thanks enough to them.
It was a slick night. Even the ambulance slid a few feet once stopping. And after the wrecker stopped, it also began to slide toward the ambulance. Todd (who some of my friends have nicknamed Rescue Todd for his efforts to always try and help others) did just what our friends would have expected him to do. He jumped in the passenger side of the wrecker, climbed across, and steered it away from the ambulance and then stopped it. I’m glad he came to the scene to check on me.
As for the eggs, a fireman brought me one he thought hadn’t cracked all over my car and me. It was still in the right shape, but leaking. The groceries suffered a much worse fate than did I. About an hour after I made it home, though, my godparents walked over to our house with eggs in tow. I had to smile.
Sometimes in life we become frustrated with people and the world around us. We begin to think that so many are only concerned about themselves and that few still care about others. An evening like this — one that was just to be a simple trip to the grocery store — demonstrated the kindness of others.
Those living across from the wreck scene even gathered up any remaining things that had flown from one of the many broken windows in my vehicle and brought them to me later in the week. Some pennies, a broken necklace, a beaded chain made by the boys, a few drawings Creed had created, Heath’s whistle — all things that could have easily been overlooked in the snow and mud. Jackie Perkins put a small note in the bag “found this, thought you might want it back.”
Wow! From volunteer firefighters to helpful neighbors to strangers passing by to those bearing eggs as gifts — my faith in people, while never gone, is definitely renewed.
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