Valentine candy, crass behaviour, and rewinding the clock
Why celebrate the example of others? Years ago a man with the name of Valentine was martyred and they celebrate on February 14th. There are several stories that are out as to why and how he lived his life and not really related to how it's celebrated today. I know that from past experience, when this time of year comes up, children hand out valentine cards and treats to their classmates. We got no notice from my son's teacher that he was required to hand out cards and I asked him if he would like to. He said he already did. He made one in class and gave it to his friend, a girl (LOL not the time to panic haha). When my son got home from school, we emptied out his bag and it was full of candy and cards. I felt like he just came bag from trick or treating or something hehe. I began to sort the candy from the cards and I put the candy in a baggy and set it aside. I am thankful for cards and the encouragement and my son can now focus on that as well. As we go into this weekend, and the rest of the year we can focus on encouraging others and that is worth celebrating.
Now for crass behaviour.......NOT a fan. Wasted pride and energy....it's ugly, destructive, and self-serving. It poisons the environment around you....don't surround yourself with it! (WOW, what a vent!) ....Where did it come from? I have neighbours who have been parking on the grassy areas in our condo complex.....sadly enough with leaking antifreeze and oil and with being the closest unit to the parking lot, it's kinda unfortunate that they would do so. The reason they started parking there? A few parking stall outlets are not working (including ours) and when the temperatures dipped in the minus 30s, they needed to be plugged in. After discarding their garbage, cigarette butts, and phlegm on our neighbour's car, it was time to ask them to stop parking there. I asked once, they moved the car and then parked it back there, with more......3 cars this time. I posted notices on their cars, and it was ignored. Police have been monitoring their actions and today as I saw them about to get into their vehicle, I asked politely if they could park in the parking stall. All but one was agreeable. And that one didn't even drive the car or LIVE there!! Not to say that in approaching them that they would be compliant, but I figured it was worth asking. Not only would they be towed, they would be fined as well.
After returning inside, I starting thinking in reverse. I started thinking about people I know and turning back the hands of time through their lives. Seeing their lives in the past and how they handled it reflects in the lives they live today. I am now realizing, that some of the people I know that are successful, accomplished, giving, and loving lived some pretty harsh experiences. They chose to be strengthened and also chose to act and respond in a way that would not encourage the harshness to continue in their lives. They made a change for the better. And I can not even imagine what the lady that started to bark at me lived like in the past. Even if her life was hard and harsh, it's how she chose to respond that has made the difference in her life today. Maybe even in who she has chosen to be surrounded by have rubbed off on her and she has chosen to "celebrate" their example and pass it on to others.
What positive, nurturing, life and love advocating actions and examples am I going to celebrate? Those of my family and friends that I have chosen to surround myself with as well as those that have set the example I want to follow in the past. There are even people I don't know (yet) that their positive contribution to the environment around them have influenced my life positively as well. I am grateful for "negative" interactions as they confirm that I want to move in a positive direction and stay that way.=D
Elisa
1 comment:
I know that some actions or things I have said may have been taken as rude or inappropriate at some point. I do try to think about how I interact and influence those around me, but someone is bound to be offended at some point.
I agree that it is a challenge to not take it personally. I have sat down with my adjoining neighbour (the one whose car gets spit on) and explained to her that she may not be the only one receiving the result of their behaviours. They are in the habit of behaving in that way and may not know how to do so otherwise. I believe that there is also nothing wrong by being inspired, motivated, strengthened through interactions that may not be as we expected them to be or how we would have chosen to respond ourselves. The interaction for me was more a confirmation of convictions, than a personal attack. I approached them after all. So the expectations of the potential of being offended may have already been anticipated.
How many of us act in a defensive manor when being approached? Especially with correction, criticism, or rebuke. We often don't realize that some actions we continue with encourage others to approach us in this way. But how we respond to it makes a difference in what we get out of it and the choices we make can be beneficial or not. =D
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