Good evening, readers! I hope everybody’s week has been great. I have some food for thought tonight. I say to be kind a lot, especially to my kids. They can usually say it before I even get the words out of my mouth because if they get angry at someone or frustrated with something and they want to scream and shout, I say, “love and light.” This reminds them to try to calm and not do or say something that they may regret later. It’s also something I tell myself when I’m in a similar situation, and it helps. For the most part. Not going to say I’ve never had a bout of road rage before, because one comes on just about every week. But I do try.
I am trying to be better in all aspects of my life, too. I want to be a better mommy, a better daughter, a better friend, a better wife, etc. I don’t want to be better at any of these because I think I’m not already good at them; I simply think it’s our job to strive to be the best possible version of ourself. Every day. We owe it to ourselves to see what we are capable of.
Part of knowing what you’re capable of is putting yourself in uncomfortabe situations for the sake of the outcome, and sometimes that outcome is for someone else. Sometimes it means showing up for someone, and being present when no one else will, even if it means swallowing your discomfort for the time being.
Don’t confuse discomfort with your gut feeling, though. Never ignore that. Your intuition, your gut feeling, or as I like to call it, your “uh oh” feeling is something that you need to pay attention to. It can tell you when there’s a threat around you, or if something it about to happen. It has saved me a few times from risky situations. But that isn’t the discomfort I’m talking about. Don’t possibly risk your health or safety for the sake of being kind.
Imagine a world, though, in which everyone is kind to each other. Imagine a world in which we all put aside our own discomfort to help one another, even if it’s something that seems really small to you. You never know what even a smile can do for someone who is having a shit day or someone who is in an absolutely shit situation.
I know a lot of people in my life right now, people who I don’t talk to very often, who are in need of positivity. Just a kind word, or a smile. We all take our photos and smile on social media, but a lot of us feel the same inside–we don’t have anyone to connect to. Social media friends, sure, and maybe that’s all some people need is someone to have a chat with every now and then. But not for everyone. And for those who are going through a really rough time, something bad, even if it’s small, can seem like the end of the world. So, inversely, something kind, even if it’s small, can give you hope. Even if it’s just a glimmer of it, it’s still hope.
Those people, who may be sad or lonely make us so uncomfortable because they remind us of those negative feelings that we can get, too. Or we may avoid someone who is really ill because hospitals remind us of our own mortality. Putting yourself out there can be really distressing. It can certainly take a toll. But it could also help us, too, in the long run.
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
William G.t. Shedd
So, if nothing else, do it for you. So you can grow as a person. It has also come to my understanding that you become mentally tougher the more you put yourself in uncomfortable situations. If you can get used to putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, then you earn a skill set that not everyone gets to add to their repertoire during their life. You get to experience more, and grow as a person. Putting yourself in these situations make the discomfort that is forced on you by the life’s circumstances a lot more tolerable and, since you grow as a person, you will be a lot more able to deal with them. Anything that life throws at you, you’ll already be one step ahead. Who doesn’t want that?
Get out there and try something new. Do something different. Show up for someone. Listen to someone talk about their day. Smile at somebody. Because, truly, we are all just doing the best that we can.
-L