Connecting people, pets, and nature, through mindfulness!
Everyone has the light of the world inside them. Full stop. Period.
We just have to get out the glass cleaner and wipe away the film of grunge that’s coloring our view.
Here’s an example from my “every day life”.
There’s a lady I work with who drives me crazy.
She’s a nice lady.
She’s a few years away from retirement, has had higher paying, more stressful jobs in the past. Now she’s just marking time until she hits that magic age when she’s got medical insurance that her Social Security will pay for.
The part that drives me crazy is silly, too.
Because I craft, I keep a small project with me all the time, and I work on my current needle-felting critter while I’m on the phone. I do this to retain what little sanity I have left, and to prevent myself from chewing on my fingernails.
Some days I work on my felted masks. Right now I’m building a wooly orange octopus. But it’s always something.
And I’m pretty self-contained. I don’t require a lot of interaction from the people I work around or with. But Peggy does.
She will ask me daily “What are you working on?” ” What did you do last night?” “What are your plans for the weekend?”. And on and on.
It drives me crazy (admittedly, a short trip).
But yesterday, I was thinking about Peggy. And in a flash of brilliance, the answer was handed to me. She’s lonely.
She lives with her little dog. That’s it. So while she may be financially comfortable, she doesn’t have many friends. She doesn’t ever talk about her family. She apparently doesn’t have the skills to make friends easily, but she’s trying.
In that moment, I realized how rich I really am – not in dollars, but in family. I’ve got my husband of 21 years. I’ve got my 16 year old son. I’ve still got a brother who stays in touch, and a sister who doesn’t really. I’ve got one Aunt, who I talk to pretty regularly, and a bunch of cousins all over the country. And, I’m one of those lucky people who can talk to just about anyone. About pretty much anything.
I am blessed beyond compare. And I need to be kinder and more gentle with Miss Peggy. Because we all need each other, and how we treat every person around us makes a difference.
Do you have a person at work who makes you crazy? Can you be a little kinder, a little gentler today?
Make a difference. Count your blessings. And cut your neighbor a little slack.
Because you don’t know what their trials may be, and you don’t need to add to them.
Have a blessed day today!
Photo by mireXa, courtesy of Pixabay
With Grace and Gratitude,
LeslieAnne