Day 17 Running with Support

I went running with a friend today....a person who I haven't known very long. She started to share with me that she was in a "slump". I didn't really do anything but listen openly and not judge. I assured her that everyone gets in a "slump" from time to time. I listened and acknowledged that she felt sad. I encouraged her to take care of herself. Is this a failure at a kind act? Somehow it feels inadequate.

I learned that this type of behavior should not be thought of as "above and beyond" but it should be given freely to our fellow humans at all times. I learned that beyond giving support to our fellow person we sould be doing more every single day. Today was not good enough.....I will do better...

Day 16 Detestable

Do you detest anyone? I wish I could say I loved everyone and nobody irritated me. That would be a total lie. I am working on the whole forgive and forget scenario...making some progress but not home free. There are a couple of people that I hate to admit...I don't care for...don't really want to hear about or hear from. I am pretty sure these people feel the exact same way about me.

The problem with this perspective is I clearly am giving them too much energy. I decided to test the hypothesis "kill them with kindness". Okay so I didn't really "kill" them with kindness but I did reach out and sent a text to one of them that said "I hope you have a happy new year". Guess What? The person text back "ditto". Okay this might seem small but it made me feel less irritated and put off by the person. Just that one small interaction.

I learned that you don't have to have a whole huge scene that includes forgiveness and forgetting..speeches..tears and anger...maybe just reaching out for a second and finding neutral ground with a few words can help make someone, for me, seem not so grotesque.