Kindness

 

 Some great reminders about the importance of the simple art of heartfelt kindness…

 

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

-          Plato

 

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

-          Leo F. Buscaglia

 

"The measure of a truly great man is the courtesy with which he treats lesser men."

-          Anonymous

 

"If you can't feed a hundred people, just feed one.”

-          Mother Teresa

Life is hard

Recently, as I was working through a personal challenge in my mind, I was reminded of how difficult life can be.  We were not promised that life will always be easy or comfortable, and I don’t know anyone who believes it is.  Our family members battle health issues and financial challenges. Friends lose loved ones and experience family break-ups. Businesses suffer losses, economic challenges and pandemics. Churches and civic organizations face internal battles and external negative forces.  Everyone knows the saying, “It’s always something”, and it is! There is always some kind of a battle going on. We always face challenges large or small. Life is about how we deal with these things, not just what we are dealing with at the moment.

It may seem funny that I am writing about how difficult life is just one week after writing about the importance of being thankful.  I actually don’t consider that to be inconsistent.  Life is challenging, but we continue to be blessed with opportunities and solutions. How you get through your challenges today and this week make you who you are in the days, weeks and years to come.

Mountains to Die On

Life is full of opportunities for us to take on battles.  There are times when it is important that we go to battle; take a stance for causes that we believe in; stand up for what is right.  Those situations are mountains worth dying on.  There are other mountains not worth the battle.  Some disagreements and conflicts simply are not worth the fight.  Maybe the issue is not that significant, not an issue of moral character or integrity.  Maybe the risks of battle far outweigh the rewards of victory.  Whatever the case, life requires us to wisely select the battles we choose to fight.  If you go through life without standing up for anything you will feel empty and regretful.  On the other hand, if you choose to fight every single little issue that comes along you will be in constant battle and probably will not experience many victories on the real important issues. 

Choose your battles carefully; some issues just are not the mountain to die on.

Perspective

Business is better than it should be at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the parking garages and waiting rooms are packed.  I spent some time there last week for a routine cancer follow up¹.  Simply being in that hospital, no matter the reason, offers a true sense of perspective.  It caused me to reconsider the magnitude of my own life problems.  Seriously ill people, who are fighting for their lives, come from around the world to be treated there.  Those of us in Houston or even Texas are blessed this facility is so accessible.  The people you see there run the gamut of stages of a cancer battle.  They are both young and old.  Some are newly diagnosed, others in remission.  Many are in the midst of rough treatments, some are just having a follow up, and others are holding the hands of their ill loved ones.  The common thread is cancer. 

When you think things are going really badly consider what others are dealing with.  We all deal with challenges, but a little dose of perspective, like the waiting room at M.D. Anderson, can shed a new light on the severity of our problems.  Even for those there as patients, the perspective gained might be one of community and not being alone.  Life is hard, we were never promised it would not be.  I have lost family and friends to cancer and have friends battling it now.  My wife and I have spent more time at M.D. Anderson with family, friends and loved ones, than anyone should have to.  The perspective gained by a few hours in a busy waiting room is powerful.  Perspective…

Be Blessed…

¹ I am a 15 year Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor and I received a clean checkup report last week.  My wife and I have also both lost parents to cancer.  Please help our family raise funds for blood cancer research at The Blanton Bunch.

Kindness

There is not enough kindness in the world if you ask me.  We are too quick to judge, too worried about ourselves, and always in a hurry.  A bit of kindness goes a long way and may actually make someone’s day.  My wife Fran, is one of the kindest people I know (way more than me).  She is always doing things for others.  It is a great attribute for her to have as a teacher.  Here is the saying that she reminds me of often and lives by daily…

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

We all have battles, big or small, personal or professional, emotional or physical.  That barista you think is slow is battling.  The driver of the car that just cut in front of you to turn is battling.  Your co-worker who just missed a deadline is battling.  Just remember that before you react, consider a little kindness.