Memories and Lessons

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog with an interview from my Uncle Don where he told a wonderful, funny story that reminded him about the goodness in people.

During part of the interview, he talked about the people that held the most memories within him and which ones provided the most influence throughout his life. You can watch him discuss it here:

One major influence on his life from an early age was his family. He had 5 siblings that all had different personalities and points of view and this, he recalls, gave him a wide variety of ideas and relationship dynamics from which to learn.

He talked about his time with his family on the farm and how the kids would always be scattered outside, in the woods or the in barn exploring.

The other day, he told me that between the 6 of them, they were always able to generate some sort of mischief : ) One day, they found their father’s chewing tobacco behind the barn. After forgetting that they were not supposed to swallow it, they all walked into the house with green faces to appeal to their mother, then proceeded to get sick to their stomachs! I guess it wasn’t funny at the time, but it was a cute story.

Other major influence were people that taught him lessons that he needed to learn, like a young man whom he looked up to that disciplined him for the way he treated the man’s mother. You can hear about his reaction in the video.

Who else stuck out in my Uncle’s mind? A man who was as strong as an ox and worked on construction sites as a hod carrier, who handed the masons containers of mortar as they were laying bricks. Yet, underneath that tremendous strength was a very kind, generous, and grateful man who always offered to help the people around him.

We all have those memories and people that stay in our hearts and minds forever. What and who are some of yours?

That's Not My Job

One of my favorite things to do with the nice weather is to get in an early yoga class, then drive down the road to the local Starbuck’s to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while I sit out on their great front patio and do my work. In fact, I’m sitting there right now writing this blog.

Less than five minutes ago, a woman that I’ve talked to here before on the patio was wiping down the table she was sitting at. Not only did she wipe down her table, but she went from empty table to table and cleaned them as well and she even wiped down mine as well. I offered to do it, but she did it anyway. She said, “I went in and asked them to wipe down the tables outside, but they were so busy that I asked for the towel and said I wouldn’t mind doing it myself.“

This may seem like a little thing, but to me, it’s not small at all. How many of us would offer to help do a job that wasn’t our responsibility rather than complaining that it wasn’t getting done? Wiping down the tables took about two minutes. The tables got cleaned, we’re both happy about that, and the generous act relieved someone who couldn’t walk away from what she was doing. This type of generosity bonds people and build a sense of community. It encourages people to be kind and helpful and to make every situation more pleasant. I think about how differently this situation could have turned out had she demanded that the tables be cleaned by an employee. It would have left a dark cloud on the patio. Instead, her attitude illuminated everything. It doesn’t take acts of heroism to make this happen–the little things really are the big things. And no job is too small or too beneath us. We’re all here together and making this world a better place is everyone’s job.

Random Acts of Kindness

The other morning, I walked into the yoga studio and the first thing I noticed was the big, beautiful sunflower in the picture. After class as I was walking out, I asked Laurie, the owner, “Would you mind if I took a picture of your sunflower?” “Of course”, she said, “do you know where it came from?” I asked her what she meant. She told me that it mysteriously appeared on the counter and she hasn’t been able to find out who put it there. I wasn’t surprised that it showed up, simply because Laurie and her partner Richard always make the effort to add personal touches and beautifying accents to the studio, such as fresh flowers and candles in the dressing rooms, beautiful photos on the walls, and inspiring quotes throughout the studio. Maybe the flower was someone’s way of saying thank you to them for caring about their customers. Or maybe it was put there “just because” the person knew that everyone who walked in would have the opportunity to enjoy it.

What would the world look like if everyone regularly performed random acts of kindness–expecting nothing in return? There are some people that do, probably because they get that the act itself is the gift back. As the Buddhist saying goes, “If you light a lamp for somebody else, it will also brighten your own path.” Freely and willingly giving to others opens our hearts, which in turn, lets more love in. This is just an example of the point I was trying to make in my blog about loving others as we learn to love ourselves. I believe these two forms of love grow simultaneously, and random acts of kindness are just one way to make this happen.