With all sorts of stuff going on in this world, it’s easy for me to feel a little out of control of my life, in the bigger scheme of things. I emphatically avoid any political comments or inclinations socially or professionally, so that’s the closest I come to alluding to the current desperately sad state of affairs.

Just a bit of fun!

But I also try like crazy, to get on in my own little life and feel that if we can make minor differences, through little things, small acts of kindness, then surely this can ripple into bigger things? And seeing this is the only way I feel I can make a difference, I felt I wanted to talk about it, and hopefully persuade more of us to “be kind”.

I am the absolute worst to make judgements, and swiftly make conclusions. In my later years, I’ve tried too train myself to not stick to the initial judgement, but to just file it to the side, and consider an alternative aspect of whatever situation has presented itself to me. Be kind to yourself - making the initial judgement is the instinctive, natural response and although you could be wrong, there is always a lesson therein to be learned.

But that second chance, the stopping to smile at the passerby, the hello, the breaking of the norm, can be all it needs to change someone else’s day. We can never know what is going on in someone else’s life, unless they communicate, but that’s their business. All you can do is offer a link of humanity and sometimes, a smile can be simply what it takes.

“The smile you give out, always comes back to you”

As we experience the first week of darker afternoons, the curtains get drawn earlier and I become a little introverted. So I make a special effort to do an early morning swim, a long midday glorious walk with Jesse the Lurcher to exercise my mind into the outside world! It maybe just Malvern right now, but these daylight times have been spectacular!

Selected inspirational and positive images

Having Jesse, teaches me to be kind - you have to really exercise the empathy muscles because he cannot tell you in words what he needs, how he’s feeling, but little glances, the odd word, creates the communication between human and animal perfectly. He, in return, silently comforted me when I was ill in bed for 24 hours. Except for his meals, he didn’t move from my side. That’s all the comfort I need to heal me.

Please do add your comments if you’d like or contact me via the email.

Above all, be kind to yourself. This is where it all starts.

Be Kind

“The smile you give out, always comes back to you”