Spread a little kindness

Think of me fondly today and tomorrow. Ron and I will be driving from Wisconsin down to Arkansas, almost a fourteen hour trip. He wanted to do the whole thing in a day but I convinced him to stop for an overnight in St. Louis. So, it's about 8 hours on the 3rd and 6 hours on the 4th. But that isn't the BIG road trip. The biggie comes next week when we schlep it from Little Rock to Los Angeles! That is a whopping 24 hour drive. Oy. I'll have to do lots of yoga stretches during our pit stops. The body gets so creaky and sore on the long drives!

I want to thank those of you who post on this humble little blog. I so enjoy reading your inspiring thoughts, musings, and gratitudes. Thanks for sharing with the class. Keep 'em comin'.

There are so many subjects I want to discuss but the major one on my mind right now is kindness. My sister actually brought it to my attention. Do any of you have a sibling you're particularly close to? My sis, Monica, two years my senior, is as close to me as my own heart. It was just the two of us growing up in Detroit with mom, dad, and cockapoo, Jingles. No one knows you like the peer who grew up by your side. I know every shade in her big brown eyes and can feel every emotion that passes through them as if it were my own. We are cut from the same cloth and yet in many ways are polar opposites. Mo's mojo is toughness. It doesn't look like it from that gorgeous smile in the pic above, does it? But, she'll be the first to admit she protects her soft places with anger and sometimes snaps at the people she most cherishes. Then she beats herself up for days on end. I protect myself in turtley ways. My life slows to a crawl and I hide under the shell of my covers, wishing the universe would stop wasting precious oxygen on me. What I do is no less hurtful to those I care about. When I fall off the planet, the people I love pay a price.

What is your default setting? Do you cushion your falls with anger or sadness? So many of us seem to be pre-wired to go directly to one or the other. It's almost as if we're born to it, like being Catholic or Jewish. When the Dalai Lama was asked about his religion, he said, "My religion is simple. My religion is kindness." When Monica's rage starts rising, she is learning to tune into kindness. When I start to sink into darkness, my life raft is kindness. My sister is frequently the one throwing it. Oprah wrote in the November issue of O mag, "Every time we're hurt or feel like we can't go on, it's someone reaching out and connecting that makes the difference." We can't solve the big problems today- global warming, Darfur, the endless Iraq mess. But we can each do our part to create peace on "planet me". Each time we choose kindness, there is a ripple effect. Little currents from your heart get sent out to "planet other" and what you send out comes back at ya. So, what do you say we all groove on some kindness this week, to ourselves and to each other. Call your sister. Tell her you love her. If you're reading this Mona, I love you more than my green juice in the mornin'! Peace, love, and kindness, my friends!