Within our relationships, we learn all we need to know. . .
My theme in all the work I do at this juncture of my life is about creating more peaceful relationships. Whether it’s a book or a workshop, my focus is on helping others, and myself too, live with less strife. I sincerely believe we add to the peace of the world we inhabit every minute we choose to treat one of our contemporaries with respect and kindness. Just speaking gently is a good beginning, in fact. Sound too simple to really be the solution, you think? Think again. It’s the pathway to a kinder, more gentle world, one that begins in the heart followed by in the home.
Too often we don’t take responsibility for making our homes and communities more peaceful. I think this is because we fail to understand how little effort it really takes for us to have a positive impact on the people, the situations, the places that we encounter in every 24 hour period. Deciding that we will show up every where with a positive attitude and a loving heart isn’t rocket science. It’s a small decision, actually, and it’s one that will change who we are and how we feel instantly. It will change everyone we meet too. Just consider, for a moment, how good you feel when a friend or even a stranger goes out of his or her way to pay you a kind compliment or help you out with a problem. When you do likewise, you are making another person’s life easier. You are helping another person know that they matter, to you, for one. And that may be the only thing they need to know to make the decision to give life one more try.
We don’t have to do much to make a difference in some one’s life. But we do need to make that difference. I used to think that making a difference would be a huge undertaking. How wrong I was. A smile is a beginning. A soft touch is a beginning too. So is being a good listener. We need say nothing to change the dynamics of a situation. In fact, quite often saying nothing is the most powerful “expression” we can make. Surely it’s the most helpful when the moment is tense.
Choosing when to speak and when to remain silent takes little more than quiet reflection. Our inner voice will guide us every time but the noisy voice of the ego will try to drown it out. It takes vigilance to hear the right voice. Then all it takes is willingness to offer what we hear to the loved ones we walk among. Remember, that’s why we and they are there.
