In life, things happen around us, things happened to us but the only thing that truly matters is how we choose to react to it.
From my perspective, I have seen three type of people in this pandemic. The first type are the helpers; essential workers that risk their life when they report to work, from the grocery workers to the health professionals and so many others. To quote Mr. Rogers, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.’ You will always find people who are helping.” As adults, it is our job to become a helper in whatever capacity we can. I was touched by my friend, Sue, who told her chiropractor to charge her credit card even though she did not feel comfortable in going to his office for her regular treatment. There are so many ways to help.
For the people in quarantine there are two groups of people the ones that are enjoying it and those that are miserable. My friend explained the people that are miserable are those that get their joy from their environment. They are miserable because they are limited to where they can go and whom they can be with. Their joy is dependent on the energy of others. They are bored and concentrate on what they can’t do. The current restrictions intensified their unhappiness that lives within them.
Also, in quarantine are the people that are adopting, of course they are missing their family and friends, but they are finding new ways to connect. They miss the freedom going to the store and restaurants without worries, but the limitations do not define them. They find ways to help celebrate birthdays. They write letters to those they love. When they are bored, they are taking classes, or watching how-to videos, call an old friend, or make cookies for their neighbors. They find love by finding ways to help others. They are exercising instead of complaining about the restrictions at their gym. They are doing projects to improve their landscapes or home interiors. They are being creative in myriad of ways. They look for silver linings. These people have the capability of generating a peaceful persona no matter the circumstances because their peace is internally generated instead of being dependent on the external environment. They hold God in their heart.
What swirls around us is not always our choice, but life is all about adopting and converting the challenges that we experience into something positive.
When adversities come, are you like an egg or potatoes or coffee? When you put an egg in boiling water, (the hot water represents adversity), the egg becomes hardened on the inside, while the potato comes in strong but the challenges becomes too much and ends up soft and mushy. The ground coffee assimilates to the hot water becoming something better. So how have you handled this adverse environment? Has this adversity made you a better person or have you hardened? How have you responded? We all have the capacity to change and to evolve.
Hopefully, the lessons that we have learned about how much we need each other will become the legacy of this pandemic making the world a better place.
Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com I love hearing your kindness stories. Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook!
