taking on the bullies

How many lives have been cut short due to bullying?  We don't need to know a number, because ANY life lost is too many!  Bullying should have no place in our schools or in our churches or in the lives of our kids.  We need to take on the bullies and put an end to their evil.

 

Bullying must end.  We need to stand up and speak out.  We don't always see it, but bullying is very widespread.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in 2011, 20% of students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying.  Don't be surprised if you never heard anything from your own children.  Bullying often goes unreported.

 

Speak out means we need to convince our kids that it is important for them to report these things to us.  As adults, we need to tackle bullying head-on and let the bullies know that such behavior is not tolerated.  We need to stand up to the bullies.  We cannot tolerate such behavior, and we cannot sit silent when our children are taking their own lives when they cannot bear the bullying any longer.

We must create a world in which teenagers, especially lgbtq teens, are celebrated and accepted for who they are. We all need to become more involved, and we need to speak up!

 

Living in the past

Are you living in the moment or are you stuck where you used to be; where you always have been? Do you have appreciation for the present, or have you gotten stuck in the past? What about the future? Are you looking ahead or do your eyes seem to be focused on your rearview mirror?

 

Yes, there is comfort in familiarity, but there is also a complete lack of adventure.  We also never advance or go forward if we aren't willing to take risks and try new and different things.  I'm not saying we should throw out tradition, but we can keep it and still add new things.

 

How about this very minute in your life - are you enjoying it or are you thinking about something from yesteryear?  My experience has shown me the great joy of cherishing every single moment and at the same time looking ahead to the newness of life and the adventures we have along the way. 

 

"Oh, I can't wait for this day to end!"  How many of us have said this?  The sad thing is that we are missing the beauty of now.  Years ago on the radio, I used to say "Smell the flowers along the way.  They're only here for a very short while and they need a lot of love to grow."  Living in the past keeps us from the joy of knowing the now and the future.  Live each moment and be glad!

strive to be happy

Our nation's 16th president, Abraham Lincoln once said “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” I really believe that too. WE control whether or not we are happy.

Yes, everything in life does not turn out the way we might want it and there can certainly be some very trying moments, but anger, frustration, sorrow, are all filled with negativity. There is always something positive in our lives, even if it might take some time to look for it. It might not always be easy either. Being happy though is actually a choice we make. We should choose to be happy above anything else.

This isn't a new idea at all. Aristotle is quoted as saying "Happiness depends upon ourselves." Max Ehrmann's Desiderata which I posted here on Monday, closes with these words: “Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.”

Like I said, it might not always be easy, but the joy of happiness is its own reward!

Rule to live by

Some people say they have a code of ethics or a rule to live by. The whole "giving back" idea that I write about here every day, I think is a form of this code.  Many refer to it as the Golden Rule.

 

It really is quite basic: we should treat others as we would like others to treat us. Not hard to understand, right? It is generally stated as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

 

There is a "two-way" relationship between us and the others in our world and that relationship involves both sides equally. None of us likes to have too many regulations, but we all should have some kind of positive rule to live by. This is just basic human values.

 

I can remember when people used to quote this rule.  I can remember when it was common for people to actually live by it too. We can go back to that again. It is possible.

The Ripple Effect

We've been having a couple of really tough years, but there also has been a lot of good.  When I see people reaching out and helping each other, especially during difficult times, to me it makes it extra special. I see it in the news more and more, and I see people I know doing incredible things.  The other day, a woman said to me that she loved making people happy because it makes her happy. She said it was a ripple effect.  Indeed.

I know I have told the story here many times about how each one of us can do what seems like a small thing, but when someone else also does it, and then another person, and another, and still another, it keeps growing. It's that ripple effect. Each ripple gets a little bigger.

I'm not the only one who has talked about this before. The late Senator Robert Kennedy said, "Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, it sends out a tiny ripple of hope." That's a pretty encouraging message.

desired things

The 1927 poem, Desiderata (Latin for desired things) by American writer Max Ehrmann, has long been a favorite of mine. I've mentioned it here before. Since I desire happiness for everyone and I desire that everyone realize his or her importance, it seemed fitting and proper to mention this wonderful prose once again on this Wednesday morning. It being in the public domain, I'd actually just like to print it here for you all to ponder and enjoy:

 

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

 

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

 

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

 

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

 

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

 

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

 

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

 

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

 

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

 

                                                                                                                -Max Ehrmann

Attitude is everything

A reader of this blog left a comment once that said in part "You have an incredibly positive attitude, which is much appreciated in this crazy world."  Thanks for the kind words!  I actually think about that comment often (even though it was probably seven or eight years ago).  Attitude though is everything.  It really is!  Sometimes it is difficult to have a positive attitude, especially when there is so much "crazy" around us.  Never lose hope though.  Never give up!

With many negative stories in the news, I know it is difficult.  So many are losing jobs and prices are sky high and there is a lot to be concerned about.  Hope though can keep us going forward.

I think it was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, “The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.”  Indeed.  Keep a positive attitude and watch for the positive results!  Yes, sometimes it might seem like there is a roadblock up ahead but never give up!

As the great English Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, “Every wall is a door.”

Don't forget your clocks

Tonight, before bedding down, don't forget your clocks.  Now I know that in some places, Daylight Saving Time is not observed, but for all the rest of you, be sure to set your clock ahead one hour.  (I think I'll take a nap this afternoon to make up for that lost hour of sleep).

Whether you observe Daylight Saving Time in your neck-of-the-woods or not, it's always a good reminder to replace those batteries in your home, especially the ones in your smoke detectors.  Also be sure to check to see if all your wall and table clocks are displaying the correct time as well as your phone and other electronic devices.

This isn't something I generally write about here, but how can you change the world if you don't even know the correct time?  Let's all do some incredible things this year!  Together we really can be instruments of change!

Kindness

Besides this blog, I write another one about kindness.  Go to https://ofbeingkind.blogspot.com/ to see that one.  Both are written seven days a week.  I've written 1,676 entries in the kindness blog since I began that back in 2016.  This one I began in 2009, so considerably more entries.  

It's NOT about me is a place where I try to write things that are inspiring.  Most of the entries here are either general in nature or are about specific people (heroes I like to call them) who are helping to make our world better.  If you are not a regular reader, I invite you to come back for more.  Tell your friends about this too!  This is not a place where I talk politics, share sports stories, or present my mouthwatering recipes.  The name is quite accurate, It's NOT about me.  

Oh, and both of these blogs could use some help by the way, especially that one about being kind.  I'm not an expert.  I try to be a kind person, but sometimes I just can't think of anything that is all that inspiring.  If you read that blog, would you kindly leave a comment or two as well?  Your thoughts could be very helpful.  

Together I really believe we can make this a kinder world!  We can never have too much kindness!

march forth

My mom always referred to March 4th as a command (march forth)! I'm sure someone else has said that too, but I remember Mom saying it year after year. It will be twelve years later this month, since she passed away, and I was thinking of her this morning.

It's amazing to me how simple little things can remind us of others or of events in our lives. Do you ever think back to a memory of long ago when a similar occurrence happens? Is it ever a bad memory?

Life is not always perfect, and we are bound to see bad things from time to time, but I really like looking at the positive as much as possible. I like being able to have those warm wonderful memories like the ones I have of my mom. As you march forth on this March fourth, may you build your supply of happy memories!

The Wish

When you were little, did you ever make a wish and then blow on the dandelion to see if your wish would come true?  Perhaps you looked up at the night sky and made a wish on the first star you saw or before blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, hoped for something.  We have all made wishes at some time or another.  Some of us spend our whole lives wishing.

Do you wish that wars would disappear?  We ALL do!  Do you wish there was an easy solution?  Do you wish for different leaders?  Do you wish things were being handled differently?  Make a wish, and then make it happen.  We all can do our part.
 

Tossing a coin into a fountain or breaking the wishbone of a cooked turkey may be fun to do, but I happen to think that wishes are good things and that they all can come true, wish a little help.  That's the important part - the little help.  Sometimes we help ourselves fulfill our dreams and our hopes - you might actually think of them as goals.  Sometimes we can help others with their wishes like when you donate to charities.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation helps make some wishes come true, but I'm really talking about dreams we ALL have.  We wish and then sit back doing nothing more sometimes.  What we need to do is wish and then make that wish a reality.

 

Difficult?  Well yes.  Sometimes it is difficult.  Life isn't always easy, but anything really worth having is worth working for!  So, don't give up on that wish.  Make it come true!