A Touch of Kindness

In a world filled with harsh realities and cynical perspectives, it’s easy to discount or overlook the value of kindness. I’ve been reminded in the last couple of days of its potential impact and power when applied in daily life. My teachers have four legs, fur, and sloppy tongues.

We acquired a new Cardigan Welsh Corgi puppy on Wednesday evening; a ten-pound ball of energy and enthusiasm whose fresh perspective on the world is infused with a sense of wonder and joy at each moment’s new discovery. He reacts to everything that he confronts with all his senses and his heart wide open. It is a joy to tag along as his world unfolds before him.

I credit his wonderful breeder for my very confident fellow’s life view. I saw the entire litter of seven puppies a few weeks ago, and I was astonished by their uniformly outgoing natures. There wasn’t a single “underdog” or bully in the bunch. I can only ascribe this remarkable outcome to Léo’s passion (Toreth), attentiveness and patience. But underlying all that, she treats all her animals with a touch of kindness that’s reflected in their bright eyes and cheerful, curious dispositions.

The marvelous thing about this underrated and often overlooked quality is its utter infectiousness. Every day I spend with little Clank (named for the mechanical sidekick in Ratchet and Clank), I feel grateful for the kind inspiration he offers to me and my family. He puts up with his cranky older brother with good grace, optimistically approaching him as a mentor and playmate. I can already see Ratchet softening his attitude, though a Corgi is a stubborn creature, so it may take awhile.

We have laughed more, walked and played more in the past few days with lighter hearts because of him. I guess that’s the thought I want to share. In taking time to be attentive to our new pup, we have slowed down and taken that deep breath that allows one to find the peaceful place inside. Moving from that place with the intention of practicing “random acts of kindness” lends such grace and beauty to life.

"The flower of kindness will grow. Maybe not now, but it will some day. And in kind that kindness will flow, for kindness grows in this way." -- Robert Alan

Just Think Differently.

Talking Head: Don’t Believe Everything You Think

I used to live in a densely populated neighborhood in one of the biggest cities in the country. I had the front half of a duplex, so my nearest neighbor lived just the other side of a couple of slabs of wallboard in my bedroom. I heard everything he did and said in that room, even though I didn’t really have any personal interest in experiencing his love life second hand. I didn’t really mind, though. I had grown used to the constant, low-level white noise that comes with all the cool stuff urban life brings, like Thai takeout at midnight.

Then one day I took up meditation and I discovered that the noise outside paled to insignificance in the face of the avalanche of sound inside my own head. Sitting in a meditative pose was hard enough (I hate when my legs go to sleep), but waiting for my brain to stop babbling at me was exquisite torture. If my legs hadn’t been asleep, I probably would have run screaming from the non-stop scripts running over and over. I tried guided imagery (somebody else’s script), chanting (nonsense syllables since I had no idea what they meant), and toughing it out. Nothing worked.

Then one day, it occurred to me that maybe that was the point. Meditation isn’t necessarily about stilling the stream of mental babble, though I suppose the masters of Zen may succeed in doing so. The point for we ordinary mortals is that it allows us to become aware of our scripts and just how banal, annoying and downright idiotic they are.

My meditative sessions became far more satisfying after I had that particular revelation. Instead of fighting to ignore my scripts, I started paying particular attention to them, and it was a very enlightening experience (no pun intended). I discovered that some of my personal problems (okay, most of them) could be traced back to the nifty little wordplays racing around my noggin. People complain about the constant bombardment of advertising and disinformation by the Media. Bah, they are amateurs. My brain will take them two falls out of three any day.

I found this insight both surprising and disturbing. I’m skeptical by nature, so I rarely take anything at face value. But I had been steeping in a mélange of self-defeating, disempowering goo on endless replay most of my life. I’d been suckering myself without even realizing it. But how do you change those scripts?

Not easily, I discovered. It’s been a constant struggle, and an evolving adventure that is far from over. Most days, I have a pretty positive perspective on my life. Some days, not so much. The best part is that the journey is turning out to be the point of it all as I explore my inner landscape and renovate my interior monologue using the tools I’ve picked up along the way.

My biggest revelation: nobody can do it for you. Redecorating your mental house is definitely a do-it-yourself project. There are mentors and experts to consult along the way, but I’ve discovered it’s all about you.

Grab that measuring tape and dream something good. Just Think Differently.