The number of times I find myself saying to the Things “be kind” is infinite. We are together so much of the day and they often find themselves with no other outlet for their energy but to bother each other. Hands in each others’ faces, pushing, kicking, invading personal space, talking over each other, monopolizing toys or just plain being not nice. All the while they are learning how to be with each other so they are learning, at least that’s what I’m telling myself.
But as I sit here, I realize that as much as they are outwardly not being nice, there are many times when an adult needs to be reminded of this too.
I’m not trying to say that I socialize with adults who push and hit or steal toys, but we certainly have a “knock others down so you can feel better about yourself” world. Our entertainment is violent, the characters are often catty and behave in underhanded, manipulative ways. But its entertainment, not reality.
So how do we consciously choose to be kind?
Try a little compassion for those around you. We don’t know the troubles being experienced by the person beside us. Try to not pass judgement. Easier said than done, I know.
Recognize we can’t control everything in our life. If we could all learn to accept things as they are we could find ourselves living with a lot less stress. This is difficult. I am nowhere near mastering this skill.
Learn to love the moment. Accept it for what it is.
Now the challenge is how do these ideas get instilled into the lives of the Things?