every single day i am grateful for my job. i hug and kiss those babies and i say to them, "how did i get so lucky?" i must say it pretty often, too, because sometimes when i kiss theo he says, "how did you get so lucky?!" their mom texted me an article yesterday saying she this seemed up my alley. she knows me well, because i've been thinking about it ever since i read and re-read it. it's george saunders's advice to graduates and you can find it here. read it.
everything he said was expressed in this beautiful arrangement of words, wrapped in humor and wisdom. but something that stuck out to me was:
alright so everything that happens around us, to us, because of us - circumstances. we're all connected. and our reactions are ours for the choosing. when someone sits down behind me on the train and takes all my hair with them, i can choose to be pissed or say, "it's ok!" and that reaction changes their reaction. and our reactions to one another in that situation will affect the way our day progresses.
my all-time worst Low Kindness season was when i was hurt. and i wanted, even though i didn't realize this at the time, everyone else to go down with me. i wanted anyone around me to feel even a fraction of the anger/pain/frustration i felt. i wanted the sympathy vote. i became cynical and remorse was in the red zone.
my all-time best High Kindness period is happening. my circumstances are fantastic. but each day i'm reminded that, regardless of my circumstances - my reaction is my choice. that makes me feel pressured in a responsible way that is good. i'm responsible for me. and to focus on the beauty in life is to do yourself a favor. and to do others around you a courtesy.
your friends want to be around you when you're genuinely happy. they'll stick around when you're a downer, but it'd be better for everyone if you got your crap together and focused on all the incredible positives in your story. i remember my friend lydia sticking around. i remember thinking she was a saint for that. others didn't stick around, and that's ok. i'm happy about that. the rest of the suckers were my family and they couldn't get out of anything even if they tried.
people are important. they're vital to your story. they're vital to your growth. choose kindness. choose love. choose to be happy.
everything he said was expressed in this beautiful arrangement of words, wrapped in humor and wisdom. but something that stuck out to me was:
...there have been High Kindness periods and Low Kindness periods, and you know what inclined you toward the former and away from the latter.so i'm sitting on the bus, listening to great music and seeing beautiful trees and bodies of water and pondering when my High Kindness and Low Kindness periods took place. they've never coexisted. it's one or the other.
alright so everything that happens around us, to us, because of us - circumstances. we're all connected. and our reactions are ours for the choosing. when someone sits down behind me on the train and takes all my hair with them, i can choose to be pissed or say, "it's ok!" and that reaction changes their reaction. and our reactions to one another in that situation will affect the way our day progresses.
my all-time worst Low Kindness season was when i was hurt. and i wanted, even though i didn't realize this at the time, everyone else to go down with me. i wanted anyone around me to feel even a fraction of the anger/pain/frustration i felt. i wanted the sympathy vote. i became cynical and remorse was in the red zone.
my all-time best High Kindness period is happening. my circumstances are fantastic. but each day i'm reminded that, regardless of my circumstances - my reaction is my choice. that makes me feel pressured in a responsible way that is good. i'm responsible for me. and to focus on the beauty in life is to do yourself a favor. and to do others around you a courtesy.
your friends want to be around you when you're genuinely happy. they'll stick around when you're a downer, but it'd be better for everyone if you got your crap together and focused on all the incredible positives in your story. i remember my friend lydia sticking around. i remember thinking she was a saint for that. others didn't stick around, and that's ok. i'm happy about that. the rest of the suckers were my family and they couldn't get out of anything even if they tried.
people are important. they're vital to your story. they're vital to your growth. choose kindness. choose love. choose to be happy.
2 comments:
Well said-as usual! I REALLY enjoy your high kindness!
Thank you for writing. It's beautiful.
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