We are hurtling towards something. One can feel the momentum building. I know, we all have our plans, and even if we are feeling thwarted right now, soon enough we will resume making our plans. But life is what happens when we are making other plans. I have plans.
I would like to return to Costa Rica in May and to Colombia in June to see my friends there, but I don't know for sure what I am going to do. So much of what I am planning depends also on others. And this is true for everyone. We are all connected, even though we often live as though only ourselves, or our immediate family or social circles matter or even exist. But that just isn't true. Our lives are bound together, all of us. The Jews have a proverb: if you save just one life, you have saved the entire world.
Right now, all I can plan is for this evening. I am going to finish writing this short blog post, and hope that someone who reads it will be inspired or consoled or even challenged. That will be my part to play. Beyond that, well, I will do some more artwork, listen to interesting things on CBC, and write and read a little, watch a documentary in Spanish and go to bed. Quiet evening. But even in my leisure time, my activities inform how I am going to treat others the next day.
I have found that I am happiest when I am giving or sharing with or reaching out to others. It isn't all about me. It is us. Tonight, Gentle Reader, or tomorrow, try to think of one person you could reach out to. It could be someone you know or a complete stranger. It might not be anything more than saying hi and offering a smile to a complete stranger, or holding a door open, or giving money to the food bank if you happen to be shopping at Safeway. But open your eyes, put your phone away, take out your earbuds and look, watch, listen and hear. You are not alone. We are not alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment