In today’s world, it’s easy to get sucked into the feelings and attitudes around us. There is so much negative, and we see it more because of TV and social media. The whole Covid mania also helped, as more people were stuck at home, it seems if they forgot how to act. It has become more common for people to do their social interaction online (or even as a blog like this, ironically) and some people forget, and maybe some have never learned, how to interact with others in a respectful and courteous way. A common thing we hear about social media is that people try to pretend they’re something they’re not. They try to portray their life and themselves as being better than they are in real life. I’ve seen long posts from parents to their children, children to parents, friends to friends, or “vague booking” which means posting something in hopes that the person or people it’s about take the hint, without that person having to deal with the issue directly.
I find that when we focus so much on the negative, it’s hard to find the positive. Easier said than done sometimes. We want to be there for others in both good and bad times, but too much negative is hard on the soul! Finding a happy medium is key. We need to make a mental list of our blessings to counteract the things we stress about and pity ourselves for. I catch myself often thinking about something negative, then realizing that there’s someone somewhere that would gladly trade me places. Then I remember how lucky and blessed I am. One of these times was when my kids were in grade school. It seemed that they were always fighting and I was always after them to clean their room. One day while volunteering at their school, I saw a mom with her son who was in a wheelchair. He was unable to walk or talk. I thought to myself how she would probably gladly be able to get after him to clean his room and not argue with a sibling. Too many times I have be slapped back into appreciation by someone else’s situation.
I saw something the other day that I was really impressed with. A young girl lost her mother less than a month ago, and rather than posting poor me sad stuff, she has looked towards what positive she can. She is showing strength and resiliency at an early age, and during such a sad and horrible time for her. Instead of seeking sympathy and attention, it seems to me that she is drawing from her mother’s example and her own inner strength to focus her energy on productive and positive things to get her through her grieving process. She’s still in school and doing a class project about her mom. One would think a kid going through what she’s going through would use it as an excuse to quit school or at least skip for a while. She has two younger siblings, and she is setting an awesome example in just this alone! I think this girl is going to go far. I knew her mother and I know that she is watching from heaven with great pride, and every time the sun shines, that’s her smile radiating from up there. As I type this, I feel the sun’s warmth come through my window, her telling me that I’m right.
Add comment
Comments