Be kind.

Who did you meet today? I mean who did you speak to that you never spoke to before? Did you add a smile to someone else's day? Perhaps you were kind to someone in line at the supermarket, or chatted in a friendly way while you waiting for an appointment.
What if that chance encounter provided the unknown other with just the energy they needed to go forward? 
Is kindness in such ample supply that we don't have to spread any more around? Are we in the habit of doing it out sparingly to strangers?
Or is kindness something we have to multiply by making an effort to demonstrate it in public? I suspect that the latter is true. If so, we can make a brighter world.

Happy New Year

It's January 3rd and a glance at the wall calendar reveals no surprise: It still shows November.
So what if I am a little behind? It happens to the best of us.I engaged in the expected and beloved rituals of the Christmas season, from baking to wrapping, even though my first cards went into the mail today.
It's time for a new year while the residual of the old still sits in stacks on my desk.  When will I learn to scale back the expectations for what I can accomplish in a day, or a month?
It is time to turn over a new leaf. So I rotate the calendar pages. First I glance at the birthdays on the December page, wondering how many received greetings, and I move on to January. 
Yes, my Christmas decorations are all still in place, and will be for another week. Why rush?  I savor the memories of holidays just lived. It is not easy to let go.