—
image credit: the mind unleashed
out walking with the kinders
i come up behind
an unlikely pair
who generally aren’t together,
mid-conversation.
one who is learning to cope
with separating from a twin,
the other who is having a hard time coping
with separating from a best friend.
the only real separation
is that the friend/twin in each case
wants to seek out other friends
and expand their horizons.
one says to the other,
“i know she wants to play with other people
and when she needs to do that,
i just let her go.
i know it’s what she has to do
and then she comes back later.”
the other responds,
“wow. how do you do that?”
she answers,
“it’s just what you do.”
i am amazed by
this four year-old’s insight and advice,
as many adults
still have not mastered this understanding.
—–
the only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.
it is never of any use to oneself.
– oscar wilde
—
image credit: google images
what do I think of western civilization?
i think it would be a very good idea.
– mahatma gandhi
—
image credit: finearamerica.com
it was an ordinary summer’s day
and began with
a trip to the doc
who was out
so i met a partner
who was very shy
but who smiled
in spite of himself
as he handed me
a ‘good patient’ princess sticker
then off to the apple store
where a ‘genius’
gave me an hour and a half
of his time
without complaint
while smiling
answering all of my questions
with patience
no attitude
later on my walk downtown
i watched
a hearty construction worker
on his lunch break
reach into his pocket
pull out a dollar
gently bend down
give it to a homeless man
right in his hand
next
i saw
a very young and skinny
chain restaurant worker
with his company t-shirt on
hand some of his tip money
to another street person
and i continued on
where i crossed paths with
a hot dog stand guy
who gave me a nod and a friendly wink
crinkling up his eyes as he smiled
and with each interaction
it felt like people
were doing their best
to stretch a little bit
out of their comfort zone
in an effort
to reach out and touch others
to make a small gesture
and making a larger impact
than they ever imagined.
—–
“the real energy occurs in each connection between two people,
which can bring about exponential returns.”
– tom rath
—
image credit: nimble.com
courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones
which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.
– henry clay
—-
image credit: tumblr.com
“it’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world.
it’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.”
– l.r. knost
—
image credit: neil abramson
called a guy
to get a quote
to replace
two tiny windows
in my cottage
he came from
a national chain
friendly
salesy
schmoozy
trying hard
but
too
too
too
much
song and dance
and
it went on
and on
and on
he made me take a quiz
i just wanted
something
a
step
up
from
saran wrap
and
it didn’t
have to
be
able
to withstand
armageddon
he used
his special
infrared light
to demonstrate
the heat factor
all i wanted
was a clear piece
of glass
to keep out
snow
bugs
flying squirrels
and
large enough
to allow
a
friendly fireman
to
fit through
he had
no
sense of humor
and
was
nervous
and so
next
we
began
the
jumping
on the glass
test
the whole thing
took two hours
he made a series
of fake phone calls
to his office
to get me a
very special deal
and i waited
for his phone
to ring
while he was ‘calling’
then
i thanked him for his time
he packed up his things
headed out
with all
of his equipment
and i kind of
felt for him
called another guy
and
this guy
was
standing
at my door
when i opened it
a couple of days later
a gentle giant
with a smile
and
a handshake
my hand
disappeared
into
his bear claw
of a hand
he came in
sat down
asked me
what i wanted
measured my
two tiny windows
he was calm
told me about his daughter
how proud he was of her
almost a doctor
asked me
about
my own children
we laughed together
he used to build houses
now a window guy
guessed the age of my cottage
more than 100
he was right
gave me the price
a very good price
no frills
no quiz
no jumping
no lights
no calls
he was here for
a half hour
he will be back
to put
my
windows in
very soon
–
it’s about listening first, then selling.
– erik qualman
—
image credits: benderconstruction.com, drip book.com, bilingual monkey.com, izismile.com,mybaycity.com
this summer
i’ve so enjoyed
spending time
at home
in my cozy little cottage
with
family and friends and animals
and
thinking back
to
last summer
when
i set off
on
a long journey
to see my family
in their home
so far away
and when
i returned
and walked in
i was
left
speechless
when i found
what was waiting for me
on my table
was a basket
of fresh peaches
and muffins
and notes
welcoming me home
and
they were
filled with
so much
love and caring
a surprise gift
had been
given to me
by my dear friends
who
in my absence
had
completed many projects
i had been talking about
for a very long time
they had planned it all
and worked together
for weeks
husbands, wives, children
to make
my cottage
even more of
a home for me
they had
clipboards
and shifts
and materials
and money
and sweat
and tools
and time
and hard labor
and they
asked
my daughters
for my
colors
and ideas
and wishes
and dreams
and most of all
what i saw
when i walked in
was
an incredible act
of
human kindness
and
i
couldn’t believe
what they had done for me
and
i cried
and
my daughter
said
‘mom, all of your stories end with you laughing or crying or sometimes both’
and
isn’t that the way
all things should end?
you can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.
~john wooden
—
image credits: leslielane.com, mainzercats
and on this mother’s day,
i am reminded of when my girls were young and we had no money,
but we had each other,.
and they went to the neighbor’s garden to pick flowers for me,
as a very special mother’s day gift.
they knew i loved flowers.
and they did so fearlessly.
and they didn’t worry about getting in trouble.
and they hoped i wouldn’t be mad.
and when they told me,
i hoped the neighbors, if they saw them picking,
understood why, and wouldn’t be mad.
these flowers meant the world to me.
and they were dirty and smiling and proud to have a gift.
and i hugged them and was so happy to be their mother.
to all of the mothers and children out there,
this day is for you.
and to all of their neighbors.
if you see a child picking flowers in your garden today,
please understand and smile,
and wish them a happy mother’s day.
what a great day at the farm, where we met farmer chris, who taught us many things.
we learned that eggs come in all colors, and shapes, and sizes.
we learned that the littlest of baby goats will follow us, just to be part of a group.
we learned that even a strong-looking pony, needs to be gently cared for.
we learned that it was nice to have someone waiting there to greet us when we returned back to the barn.
and when the farmer on a tractor gave us a bumpy ride on a wagon,
we learned the world is even bigger than we thought,
and filled with many more wonders ahead,
yet to discover.
—
“Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment,
and communicate their discoveries to those around them.”
The Audubon Nature Preschool
I didn't have my glasses on.... 