Well, readers, I've learned something new today. Occasionally, I copy the "buttons" from previous posts into the new post. I thought it was a shortcut but didn't realize that if someone comments from the email, the comment then ends up on that previous post (that I copied the button from). Actually, this happens with sharing too. A friend brought this to my attention last week, and I couldn't figure it out. And then today, it dawned on me that copying those buttons means the links (in the emails) are going to those old posts! It makes sense. The links within the post on the website still link to the current post. Oops! Mistakes are opportunities for new learning. :)
Thanks so much, Deb! I'm glad it resonated. I miss being in writing group with you. I hope your pen has been busy and that you and your family are well. :)
I (almost) never comment. For many different reasons, but maybe the main one is that I'm lazy, and it feels like too much work to decide what is important enough to say and how to say it well. It's much easier to read someone else's examined life than to examine your own. Or I'll think about some comment or reply later, when I'm riding my bike and my thoughts roam free, but once I get somewhere to write it down, I get distracted and then the thoughts are gone.
Assume less, Admire More - going to continue to work on that. The best part about 'admire more' is it feels so darn good doing it! Thanks for the beautiful words and reminder! xo
Such a great practice and such a great reminder to cultivate admiration and model it for others. I thought of it today when a friend was telling a story about misplacing something, finding it, and then being reprimanded by a loved one for misplacing it rather than celebrated for the patience and persistence it took to actually find the item in a timely manner.
I was also reminded, when you wrote about people of a certain generation, of a section of the book The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. In a chapter about healthcare and "handouts" McGhee quotes Ron Pollack (not a household name , but someone who dedicated his life to extending the public web of protection around more Americans, and tens of millions of Americans are better off because he has) whose diagnosis of the United States resonated with me. According to Ron Pollack "we (Americans) suffer because our society was raised deficient in social solidarity."
I raise a glass to social solidarity. I raise a glass to the collective. I raise a glass to all who enhance my life through their random acts of kindness and generosity - toward myself or my fellow citizens. There is, I believe, an abundance of goodness. And it grows, I believe, when we focus our attention on it.
Thanks again, Mary, for the beautiful reminder! I'll be practicing with you. :-)
Love this, Lori! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Wowza - that quote from Ron Pollack is so accurate. I too raise a glass to social solidarity. None of us does it (whatever "it" may be) on our own. The older I get the more I realize this and the importance of the community.
This morning I read this: "what would it do to movements, to our society and culture to have the principles of healing at the very center? And what does it do to have healing at the center of every structure, and everything we create?" It reminded me of a slideshow I recently viewed about Functions of Behavior and children's internal working model. One slide encouraged the person responding to the challenging behavior to think about their ASSUMPTIONS. Another slide discussed the shift from trauma informed care to healing centered engagement. To me these are signs of social solidarity. I admire the evolving practice.
Uff! The quote is from Prentis Hemphill. It was part of the summary/explanation of a speaker series session called On What it Takes to Heal :A Conversation With Prentis Hemphill and W. Kamau Bell.
Here's a comment from a reader that ended up on the incorrect post due to my mistake. Glad I figured it out at least!
Janis: I loved this today. I definitely should admire more. I often fall into a trap of noticing things I don't like, especially when I have no power to "fix" it. It is so important to look for the good, admire it, and share the admiration with others. When you wrote about sharing with others the things you admire about them or the good work they do....I thought of M, who always announced, " good job" when he does something he likes. It's so heartwarming.
Me: Thanks, Janis! And thanks for sharing about M - that's so sweet.
Well, readers, I've learned something new today. Occasionally, I copy the "buttons" from previous posts into the new post. I thought it was a shortcut but didn't realize that if someone comments from the email, the comment then ends up on that previous post (that I copied the button from). Actually, this happens with sharing too. A friend brought this to my attention last week, and I couldn't figure it out. And then today, it dawned on me that copying those buttons means the links (in the emails) are going to those old posts! It makes sense. The links within the post on the website still link to the current post. Oops! Mistakes are opportunities for new learning. :)
Wonderful post, Mary! I’m inspired to join you in admiring people more--while they’re still here! Thank you for your writing.
Thanks so much, Deb! I'm glad it resonated. I miss being in writing group with you. I hope your pen has been busy and that you and your family are well. :)
I (almost) never comment. For many different reasons, but maybe the main one is that I'm lazy, and it feels like too much work to decide what is important enough to say and how to say it well. It's much easier to read someone else's examined life than to examine your own. Or I'll think about some comment or reply later, when I'm riding my bike and my thoughts roam free, but once I get somewhere to write it down, I get distracted and then the thoughts are gone.
I hear you, Celeste. It's a maddeningly distracting world. Thanks for reading my posts. I really appreciate it! Hope we can catch up soon...
Assume less, Admire More - going to continue to work on that. The best part about 'admire more' is it feels so darn good doing it! Thanks for the beautiful words and reminder! xo
Thanks for reading, Sara! And yes - it does feel good. xoxo
Such a great practice and such a great reminder to cultivate admiration and model it for others. I thought of it today when a friend was telling a story about misplacing something, finding it, and then being reprimanded by a loved one for misplacing it rather than celebrated for the patience and persistence it took to actually find the item in a timely manner.
I was also reminded, when you wrote about people of a certain generation, of a section of the book The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee. In a chapter about healthcare and "handouts" McGhee quotes Ron Pollack (not a household name , but someone who dedicated his life to extending the public web of protection around more Americans, and tens of millions of Americans are better off because he has) whose diagnosis of the United States resonated with me. According to Ron Pollack "we (Americans) suffer because our society was raised deficient in social solidarity."
I raise a glass to social solidarity. I raise a glass to the collective. I raise a glass to all who enhance my life through their random acts of kindness and generosity - toward myself or my fellow citizens. There is, I believe, an abundance of goodness. And it grows, I believe, when we focus our attention on it.
Thanks again, Mary, for the beautiful reminder! I'll be practicing with you. :-)
Love this, Lori! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Wowza - that quote from Ron Pollack is so accurate. I too raise a glass to social solidarity. None of us does it (whatever "it" may be) on our own. The older I get the more I realize this and the importance of the community.
This morning I read this: "what would it do to movements, to our society and culture to have the principles of healing at the very center? And what does it do to have healing at the center of every structure, and everything we create?" It reminded me of a slideshow I recently viewed about Functions of Behavior and children's internal working model. One slide encouraged the person responding to the challenging behavior to think about their ASSUMPTIONS. Another slide discussed the shift from trauma informed care to healing centered engagement. To me these are signs of social solidarity. I admire the evolving practice.
Uff! The quote is from Prentis Hemphill. It was part of the summary/explanation of a speaker series session called On What it Takes to Heal :A Conversation With Prentis Hemphill and W. Kamau Bell.
Thanks for sharing these thoughts, Lori. So much to think about. I really like the term "healing centered engagement."
Here's a comment from a reader that ended up on the incorrect post due to my mistake. Glad I figured it out at least!
Janis: I loved this today. I definitely should admire more. I often fall into a trap of noticing things I don't like, especially when I have no power to "fix" it. It is so important to look for the good, admire it, and share the admiration with others. When you wrote about sharing with others the things you admire about them or the good work they do....I thought of M, who always announced, " good job" when he does something he likes. It's so heartwarming.
Me: Thanks, Janis! And thanks for sharing about M - that's so sweet.