We have one Mr. Eric Burns of Tulsa to thank for my topic today. When I asked on Facebook and Twitter what would be a good topic, he suggested ‘farting in public’. I took it as a challenge and here is the result!
It’s pretty simple really. Compassion is like many other things, you might not be able to define it, but you know it when you see it. And you know it when you are doing it, and when you aren’t.
I tried a different style today, that’s why it looks a bit different and rough.
On a day when most of my city is still snowed in, I thought about how we want so badly to control the winter weather, the clouds, the rain and snowfall, the temperature, and we can do none of it.
But what we can control we have such a hard time doing. Kindness and compassion and understanding to our neighbor, assuming the best, helping out, befriending. Those are things that we can control. But do we? Or do we follow the path of least resistence. Now that we need paths shoveled for us, do we know our neighbors enough to ask for help or give it?
If you are in the position where you live with, deal with, suffer with, a person who is deep into addiction, sin, mental illness, depression or any other emotional/psychological/chemical trauma, you should have been able to tell by now that the simplistic anger leading to condemnation has really done nothing to help that person. It may seem like the way to proceed; it’s easy, feels good, feels morally right, but it isn’t and it won’t help that person, or you, in the long run.
Try compassion instead. That doesn’t mean you aren’t strong and it doesn’t mean you don’t hold them accountable. But you do it with love and understanding, not anger and self-righteousness.
Quote by Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887, Congregationalist, clergyman, social reformer, abolitionist,and speaker. Very interesting guy, check his bio out when you get a chance.
Actually, I think winter is when we hope the most. I believe hope (or its absence) is the quintessential element underlying everything within the human condition. What do you think?
Can you show yourself compassion, or do you think you don’t deserve it? Why not?
If you are that person, I want to ask, do you ever find yourself able to show self-compassion? If so, when does it occur? How does it come about in your mind? What do you do when you feel it towards yourself? …………………………………………………………………….
Here is the flippy haired girl from 2002. Let’s make up what she was thinking, ok? Vote for your favorite.
I hate church.
I love church.
I hope Mr. soandso isn’t there, he’s creepy.
I need a LOT of coffee today.
I don’t think my deodorant is working.
Why is that guy staring at me?
If my heel breaks like last time I am going to scream!
What is the point of it all?
I can’t remember anything before college.
I wish people could see the real me.
You can vote for one of those or you can make up a new thought and submit it. You can enter as many times as you like. For official rules see the flippy haired girl, wherever you find her. Just ask her ‘what are the official rules?’ and she will tell you. She might tell you to bug off, but she will tell you something.
A vintage napkin from 10 years ago. Drawn for my daughters and put in their lunches to take to High School.
Seems a bit harsh, but there is a very real regret I know I feel when I think about what I could have done vs what I actually did do over the years. I think there has been a victory or two, so I won’t be ashamed to die. But, just in case anyone is inclined to tell me I shouldn’t be so hard on myself, don’t worry, I am not. I am just saying I sometimes wish I had done more.
Quote By Horace Mann, 1796-1859, American Education Reformer. My eldest daughters’ first school was named Horace Mann Elementary in San Jose, California.
My wife and I had a long discussion today about what we might like to do in the future. We talked about how when we decide to do something new and different we can feel discomfort. Whether it is thinking about traveling somewhere we have never gone, becoming friends with new people, even something as simple as going to a new restaurant or cooking a new meal, it’s easy to feel a bit of discomfort and choose to not go in that new direction so we can avoid that discomforting feeling.
But, in the end, if that becomes your habit, you stay home, meet no one, do nothing and get filled with regret for a life not lived. My wife and I don’t want to do that and so we choose to suffer the discomfort because the pay off is so wonderful. New friends, new experiences and new opportunities to love and care about the people we cross paths with. That is worth it.
Quote author unknown. After I came home from our breakfast together this quote quickly passed in my twitter feed and I knew it was meant to be my quote for the day. I didn’t catch who posted it, but it’s a great quote. The original said ‘resentment’ instead of ‘regret’ but I liked ‘regret’ better so I changed it.
Today is officially the first Topical Tuesday! I will be focusing on current events and other topical moments on Tuesdays for a while.
Today they announced the nominations for the Academy Awards. ABC was doing an interview with one of the nominees, Melissa Leo, and she mentioned the real life family that the movie she is in (The Fighter) is based on.
It got me thinking how in some ways that family is being nominated for their life. That led me to think, hey, I could be a nominee for the best performance by me in a leading role. I could also be a nominee for the Razzie for worst performance by me. Which one would my family, friends & napkin kin be more likely to nominate me for?
How about you? Are you in the running for ‘Best Me’ or are you going to get a Razzie for your performance? I am rooting for you to be in the Best Me category!
