November 22, 2012

The power of touch

Skin on skin, electrify

Calming, warming, touch

For those who have had the good fortune to witness childbirth or to hold a new baby, what is the first thing you did?  You placed your finger in his or her hand and the baby grasped it and held on.  You delicately ran you finger along the baby’s arm, or maybe lightly stroked the cheek.  And you held on, too, for dear life.  For the baby’s and for yours.  Is there nothing that is more calming, peaceful and complete than holding a newborn baby.  Experiencing the miracle of life and seeing everything ahead.

So, why do we stop touching?  Do you touch the ones you love?  Just with your fingertips?  With a warm embrace?  With an hour of just holding?  Do you offer it and accept it? And do you accompany that physical touch with words that touch and heal as well?

As Melissa Etheridge might say … Place Your Hand…

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November 19, 2012

Here’s a thought for you

Giving yourself might lead to

A greater return

 

Think about it.  Do it.  Give of yourself.  Not just the easy part, the part that you’re comfortable with, but give that part you’re afraid to let go.  Give of yourself and get out of your comfort zone.  Live dangerously.  On the edge.  Put your faith in the recipient.  Give.  Give. Give.  You just might be amazed at what you get in return.  It’s worth it.  Trust me.  I know.

 

What Matters

Via a friend…

When things in your life seem almost to much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar……and the beer.

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.
So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was.
The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He asked once more if the jar was full.  The students responded with an unanimous “Yes.”
The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed.
“Now,” said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things – your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.  The sand is everything else – the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first”, he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.  Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children.  Take time to get medical checkups.  Take your partner out to dinner.  Play another 18.  There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal.  Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.  Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”
When he had finished, there was a profound silence.  Then one of the students raised her hand and with a puzzled expression, inquired what the beer represented.
The Professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.  It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”

Baby Steps

It’s the little things that give me hope of progress towards equality and fair treatment for all.  What a powerful message being sent.

Let Go of the Hurt and Look for Good

Here’s one story, about Filipino men who fought for the U.S. in WW II with a promise of citizenship and benefits that were then denied to them once the war was over.  They and their families could have held on to their pain and bitterness.  Instead they waited for the one thing they were promised.

The other story I can’t link to as it’s behind the subscription wall for Sports Illustrated is about a Holocaust survivor.  He was a child then and saw almost his entire family killed.  And, then there were the many other atrocities he saw and experienced.  One of the stories he tells is that he and his father were spared for a time.  I don’t remember the details from the article, but the two of them weren’t in the ghetto when it was cleared but they returned shortly after and all he can remember of that day is “feathers.”  Because soldiers had destroyed everything, including pillows and blankets, leaving the air filled with feathers.

Anyway, this gentleman, by the name of Ben Helfgott, survived along with one of his sisters.  His mother, father and other sister perished, as well as 20 of 24 cousins.  After the war, 1,000 children who survived were shipped to England.  They were known as The Boys.  Why?  Because, apparently, girls did not survive the holocaust at the same level as boys did.  He eventually became an Olympic weightlifter (look him up on Wikipedia), serving as the captain of Great Britain’s team in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics.

What the wikipedia entry doesn’t get into, but the Sports Illustrated article does is Mr. Helfgott’s charity work.  Those 1,000 survivors eventually formed a group called the ’45 Aid Society.  Initially, it was formed as a support group for the survivors.  But as they grew up and achieved success of their own, they expanded the charitable efforts of their organization.  Mr. Helfgott has been instrumental in keeping the spirit of the organization alive, speaking at its annual meeting and reminding the participants that they cannot let the horrible evil they experienced define them.  That instead they should use their successes to help, to spread good, to be good and do good.

Think about it … this is the kind of spirit that is far too absent in today’s culture.  It’s not about letting hurt go.  It’s not about doing for others.  These men — the Filipinos in the first story and Ben Holfgett and his fellow survivors — saw and experienced the absolute worst the human race has to offer.  They chose to not let that experience define them and keep them angry and bitter.  Yes, they held on to their memories — in fact, that is one of Ben Holfgett’s deepest wishes, that he never forgets and does everything to make sure that the survivors’ stories are recorded — but not to the point of dysfunction.

It would be nice if more people could let go of pain and bitterness and hurt and move on.