"WORDS WITH FRIENDS (and strangers)"
I've learned how important it is to think before I open my mouth because you cannot take back words once you toss them like daggers. These days I'm wiser and more considerate. I don't take things so personal. Yet, truth be told, it wasn't always easy to be forgiving of rude strangers and rude loved ones. I'd puff up like a ruffled rooster ready to defend myself against nasty words. My attitude changed in one afternoon.
I used to provide a product called a "Life Book." I'd ask a client random questions and, using my stenography skills, I'd type a verbatim record. At the end of the session, the client had a written book of his/her life in addition to an audio recording.
One of my clients was an older man who had terminal cancer. His family hired me to make a Life Book to help them during the inevitable grief process that was sure to follow. The sessions were emotionally charged as his life was coming to an end. I'm not going to sugarcoat it; this wasn't an easy job for me, but providing a service that helped families in their grief was an honor.
Listening to this man share his life path gave me a window into his heart, his accomplishments, and the lessons he had learned through his years. He was kind and he was wise. This beautiful human being said something that, to this day, I still marvel how it changed my way of communicating and reacting in my daily life. I became very conscious of the responsibility the spoken word entails and its cause and effect. His message was so simple. So obvious. Yet so frequently ignored.
"Recall for me some of the most important lessons you have learned in life."
He answered, "Try not to do things that make other people cry."
Again, so simple. So obvious. Yet so frequently ignored. In today's world, taking responsibility for our words and actions seems like outdated, old-fashioned values. It seems more common that a sense of entitlement overrides a sense of decency.
Live a life softening your words. Negative words can have a ripple effect, rolling like jagged rocks, hurting a lot of people. Live a life doing your best to avoid hurtful actions that may cause tears.
The reality is people are going to piss us off. Whether it's a loved one or a complete stranger, it's gonna happen. It's how we choose to respond that's our responsibility. Because at the end of our life, from a spiritual perspective, it's not going to matter what they did so much as wishing we had rose to the occasion in a positive light.
Try not to do or say things that make other people cry. You can't go backwards. But if, while moving forward, one consciously strives to be mindful of their words and actions and the impact on others -- including the rude crab apples -- it's a step in the right direction to a life with the least amount of regrets.
I used to provide a product called a "Life Book." I'd ask a client random questions and, using my stenography skills, I'd type a verbatim record. At the end of the session, the client had a written book of his/her life in addition to an audio recording.
One of my clients was an older man who had terminal cancer. His family hired me to make a Life Book to help them during the inevitable grief process that was sure to follow. The sessions were emotionally charged as his life was coming to an end. I'm not going to sugarcoat it; this wasn't an easy job for me, but providing a service that helped families in their grief was an honor.
Listening to this man share his life path gave me a window into his heart, his accomplishments, and the lessons he had learned through his years. He was kind and he was wise. This beautiful human being said something that, to this day, I still marvel how it changed my way of communicating and reacting in my daily life. I became very conscious of the responsibility the spoken word entails and its cause and effect. His message was so simple. So obvious. Yet so frequently ignored.
"Recall for me some of the most important lessons you have learned in life."
He answered, "Try not to do things that make other people cry."
Again, so simple. So obvious. Yet so frequently ignored. In today's world, taking responsibility for our words and actions seems like outdated, old-fashioned values. It seems more common that a sense of entitlement overrides a sense of decency.
Live a life softening your words. Negative words can have a ripple effect, rolling like jagged rocks, hurting a lot of people. Live a life doing your best to avoid hurtful actions that may cause tears.
The reality is people are going to piss us off. Whether it's a loved one or a complete stranger, it's gonna happen. It's how we choose to respond that's our responsibility. Because at the end of our life, from a spiritual perspective, it's not going to matter what they did so much as wishing we had rose to the occasion in a positive light.
Try not to do or say things that make other people cry. You can't go backwards. But if, while moving forward, one consciously strives to be mindful of their words and actions and the impact on others -- including the rude crab apples -- it's a step in the right direction to a life with the least amount of regrets.