In an effort to stretch...red.
Red makes me think of Mom, and the importance of kindness. Always one for bright colors, it was her favorite during the 70's. There was a night when all of us kids and Dad were sitting in the living room... Mom came in wearing a big smile and striking a "Ta-da!" pose to show off her new glowing blonde permed hairstyle and a bright red polyester jumpsuit. We all burst out laughing. She burst into tears and ran back into her bedroom.
We tried to take it back, but it was too late. The jumpsuit was returned, and she grew out the tight curls and cut them off as soon as possible, while the rest of us learned a lesson about being more thoughtful and kind.
Thinking about kindness with a wander through the dictionary... "benevolence, indulgent, considerate, helpful, gentle, a desire to do good to others..."
(An unexpected and kind gift from a friend this week)
"This is an unkindness of time," is a thought that has been in my mind for the last few months. At the same time, there's been a lot of growth, too- in self-awareness and self-care (or at least in the realization for the need of it).
In this new space of life, some things have relaxed, mostly on the inside. I find myself doing odd little things around the house...even dusting(!), and feeling the gift of this time. And I'm reaching towards more kindness. There have been attempts at small new ways of approaching things, how I talk to others, and myself. Which means going against my go-to mind set of believing that every wrong in the world needs urgent emergency care. Some efforts have been surprisingly successful, many awkward, and a few have back-fired... it's a learning curve.
I am a lucky bear.
