Love

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"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too." - Paulo Coelho

This quote is for you, Michelle Wallace! From the author of The Alchemist.

Being a nurse, I see people in their rawest, most unguarded moments, and trials like sickness and death bring out the best, and the worst, qualities in people. In those moments, it doesn't matter what material possessions they have acquired, but the depth of the relationships of those around them. It's really hard to stand by and watch as families abandon each other and walk away because it's too hard and inconvenient to continue to care for someone.

I understand the sacrifice of being a caregiver. I found myself unexpectedly in that position two years ago, and am still there now. But every moment I give up for myself, I am repaid in love and gratitude many times over. That gives me the strength to continue, even when I get discouraged or tired.

We will all be on either side of this equation at one point in our lives- whether as the caregiver or the sick one, and how we treat others will make or break us. That being said, I do understand how complicated relationships can be. It is certainly easier to care for someone who is appreciative than one who is demanding and abusive, even taking into account their pain and suffering.

Take the days one at a time, don't be overwhelmed, take joy in the little things, and love those around you.

Kindness- what does it mean to you?

"One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others." -Lewis Carroll

What does kindness mean to you?

To me it means treating every living thing- whether person, animal, or the Earth itself, with respect. Among people most of all, it doesn't matter what socio-economic class they belong to, what race, religion, or political group they identify with, what language they speak, or what values they hold, even if they differ from mine, I think to be treat them all with kindness is the right thing to do.

It's not always easy, especially when people can inflict hate for no apparent reason at all. Sometimes kindness means intervening when hate begins to encroach on other people's human rights.

Being kind is not weak, rather it is having the strength to be good, and choosing the right thing, even when outside influences may make that difficult. It means being able to sacrifice some comfort for myself, so that others can be more comfortable.

Kindness

"Always be a little kinder than necessary."- J.M.Barrie

In a divisive world full of hate, intolerance, and prejudice, it is possible to be kind, and that has a way of being paid forward. My job affords me plenty of opportunities to be kind, and sometimes it's the small things that count as the most important.

One act of kindness this week that I had the chance to do was hold a hand during a distressing procedure. My patient clutched my hand throughout and was deeply appreciative of my willingness to be there at the moment. Sure, I had other things to do, but sometimes the sacrifice for another human being's comfort is worth it, and it gives their life worth too.

Maybe this post can inspire you to an act of kindness today? Pay it forward.

Psychopath

The evil character of fiction is not just in books. Sometimes reality can be worse than fantasy, and sometimes I look around and think, does no one see what's going on? Is there no good left? Because people seem intent on being the three monkeys who see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil, as if by doing so will make it non-existent.

I read the book, "Without Conscience" by Dr. Hare awhile back and suddenly the rose-colored glasses were lifted. I liked to think that there might be good in all people until I read this, and then everything made sense to me. I was reeling from finding out my daughter was the victim of a violent crime, and the louder I cried out for justice, the more society turned it's back. I don't know which was worse, the actual crime, or society's reaction to it. This is in part my platform that I am writing about.

So what is a psychopath? They are the wolf in sheep's clothing. They have a facade of being like everyone else, with one serious exception. They have no conscience. That means that they can do whatever they want, and they don't care what other people think or feel. That may sound harmless, but what if they are greedy and want to be rich? They will find a way to con or steal, regardless of how it affects their victims. What if they like to hurt people? Think serial rapists or killers. One example is the new one in S. Carolina. He raped a girl but his mother said he shouldn't go to jail because he walked her home afterwards, therefore he couldn't be the monster he seemed. He did go to jail, but on his release he then ran a successful real estate company and they now believe he has killed at least 7 people.

Just because a person says they are a good person, and only act for the greater good, do you believe it, despite obvious evidence to the contrary?

The opposite of a psychopath is kindness and empathy.

My quote for the day is:

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive." -Dalai Lama XIV

We must care about not just ourselves, but everyone else, and our beautiful planet Earth. It's our responsibility, and I will live my life to my dying day under that philosophy.

ISWG Wednesday!

My post for ISWG Wednesday. Join us !

I must confess! Since my last post I've done absolutely zero writing! My life has been insane and I can't keep up with anything :(

A window into my life is working close to 30 hours a week, driving sometimes 100 miles a day to commute to work and appointments. I take my daughter into therapy twice a week, plus now therapeutic horseback riding lessons, and this week an additional doctor appointment on top of that. We started homeschooling our youngest child, so I have to check on things related to that (thankfully she is very independent). Then add the usual household things like grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and caring for my mini-zoo of 3 dogs and 2 cats.

Every time I think things will settle down, they don't, but every once in a while I get the urge to write and then go at it for days on end. Plus the story I'm writing still has no ending so I have no urgency to finish immediately. But I know this is true for others out there too- we all truly live crazy lives in this rat race.

I've also been posting quotes from a book by Nat'l Geo called Daily Peace, and the theme for November is kindness. The quote for today is,

"It is the heart always that sees, before the head can see." - Thomas Carlyle

I love the theme for this month, but I fear kindness is a dying quality. Our environment and social climate has nothing to do with the greater good of all, but is driven by greed and selfishness. I see it every day in big and small ways, but it is not all gloom and doom, because I believe God will step in someday and save us from ourselves. I highly recommend the documentary Before the Flood with Leonardo Di Caprio, if you want to know what I'm talking about.

Set Her Free

September 27th

"I do not understand the mystery of grace- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us."
- Anne Lamott (quote from Daily Peace by National Geographic)

I'm not really sure what the context of this quote is, but taken in a spiritual sense, I have to say that with all that I've been through recently, if it were not for my faith I don't believe I could have survived. I've come out wiser, sadder, but not bitter.



I just finished reading this book, (see my review on Goodreads). The author was forced from her farm in Zimbabwe under the Mugabe government, and proceeded to rescue horses from abuse and neglect, shuttling them from place to place until they finally came to Mozambique. To me it's another important story that needs to be told of how we have failed our stewardship of this beautiful planet.



Also finished the second book in this combo, Shadows on the Grass.

Read any good books lately?

Balance

"Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." - Dolly Parton (From Daily Peace by National Geographic)

Of course that's easily said by a multi-millionaire in the entertainment world, not that I don't agree, but in the real world, it's hard to find a balance. In the modern world with all the "conveniences" that are supposed to make our lives easier, why are we struggling to find time to spend with our family and do the things we love?

Not everything is in our control, but I've been working to simplify our lives. If there is less stuff, there is less mess to clean up. Neither my husband nor I have ever been big shoppers, but we have kids, and that means an endless cycle of buying clothes as they grow and cleaning out the old. Same with toys, and I have to admit I give in to buying more than is necessary in that department.

Streamlining my life leaves me more time to read and of course, write.

Any thoughts?