THE DAILY SPARK

BIG QUESTION?

The question we must ask ourselves everyday is which is more debilitating: to be cut off from love or to be scarred by the pain of being hurt?

FROM:  THE BOOK OF AWAKENING  Having the Life You Want By Being Present To The Life You Have by Mark Nepo

REFLECTION:

  • Which is more debilitating for you ?
  • Reflect on a current relationship challenge. Are you willing to risk the scar and pain to love or do you prefer to remain cut off?
  • When ready, take that step to engage and love.

FINAL STEP IN HEALING

“Perhaps the final step in the healing of all wounds is the discovery of the capacity for compassion, an intuitive knowing that no one is singled out in their suffering, that all living beings are vulnerable to loss, attachment and limitation.  It is only in the presence of compassion that we can show our wounds without diminishing our wholeness.  For those who have compassion, woundedness is not a place of judgment but a place of genuine meeting. 

Quote from MY GRANDFATHER’S BLESSINGS: Stories of Strength, Refuge and Belonging by Rachel Naomi Remen

REFLECTION:

  • Do you have a wound that taught you a lesson?
  • Examine a current ‘wound.”  How can this show you the way to compassion?  
  • How can you reframe your woundedness to a place of authentic meeting?

THREE TYPES OF KINDNESS

There is the kindness of ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’  And the kindness of “I was wrong, I’m sorry.”  The small kindnesses that smooth our interactions and help other people feel as though you’re aware of them.  These don’t cost us much, in fact, in most settings, engaging with kindness is an essential part of connection, engagement and forward motion. 

And then there is the kindness of dignity.  Of giving someone the benefit of the doubt.  The kindness of seeing someone for the person that they are and can become, and the realization that everyone, including me and you, has a noise in our heads, a story to be told, fear to be danced with and dreams to be realized.

And there’s another:  The kindness of not seeking to maximize short-term personal gain.  The kindness of building something for the community, of doing work that matters, of finding a resilient, anti-selfish path forward. 

Kindness isn’t always easy or obvious, because the urgent race to the bottom, too easily measured metrics and to scarcity, can distract us.  But bending the arc toward justice, toward dignity and toward connection is our best way forward.  Kindness multiplies and it enables possibility.  When we’re of service to people, we have the chance to make things better.

FROM:  Seth Godin’s Daily Blog

Seth Godin is above all a teacher, an entrepreneur and a marketing guru.  His books include: The Purple Cow, This Is Marketing and his latest, THE PRACTICE Shipping Creative Work.

REFLECTION:

  • Three Kinds of Kindness… assess how many of these you practice.
    • Kindness of basic manners
    • Kindness of dignity
    • Kindness of building something for the community

  • Is there someone who could benefit from the kindness of dignity?

  • Is there Kindness you can offer/do to build your community, family, work place to make things better?