do the right thing

 

Guess where I've been all week. Here are a few hints. Imagine:

~charming fishing villages~

 

~sheer mountain cliffs~

~endless fjords~

~reindeer~

~and, yes, awe-inspiring views of the Aurora~

...not to mention kind and smiling people (especially the ones who gladly went out of their way to track down and recover a couple of misplaced carry-ons of ours), and delicious food...all of which we enjoyed despite a few days of dense fog, freezing rain, sleet, snow, and gale force winds! 

"There is no such thing as bad weather, 

only bad clothes."

~Norwegian Folk Saying~

If you guessed Norway, you would be correct. Norway...where we were treated to a sampling of life lived with intention above the Arctic Circle, complete with unimaginable beauty in a sometimes harsh and uninviting environment. Where the indigenous Sami people have protected herds of reindeer for generations out of reverence for their shared space. Where solitude is cherished, and community is celebrated.

This is where we spent almost ten days. We went from exclamations of "Wow! Wow! Oh, wow!" on the first day...directly to (pardon our French) "HOLY F--K!" the very next day! Because, you know, the Northern Lights. The pod of orcas we spotted. The bright blue-green water and how painfully cold it was. H.F. We fed the reindeer. We went snowmobiling in a blizzard. We jumped straight out of our hot tub into a snowbank. We ate reindeer stew. When in Norway...do as the Norwegians do.

And then it was time to leave, no small challenge when our flight home was cancelled. I won't bore you with the details, except to say this. When we arrived at JFK, we still had a two-hour drive home...along roads that were disappointingly, disgustingly littered with garbage, notably so because there was no such thing in Norway. Not a cigarette butt, or a gum wrapper, or a beer can anywhere. I mean, we knew we were returning to political mayhem, to cruelty, deception, and greed. To war. But to so much litter? To the trashing of our homeland?

This is the thing. People in Norway believe it is honorable and sacred "to do the right thing." To lend a helping hand without expecting so much as a "thank you." To care for one another and for their wildlife because they all benefit from it. To keep the land and water clean and beautiful.

Americans? Not so much. 

That said, my new mantra is: 

"DO THE RIGHT THING"

...whether you're tossing out a gum wrapper, or reaching out to someone in need, or going to the polls. Do the right thing!

jan 

relief may be just a small kindness away

As healthcare providers, we choose to devote our lives to caregiving. This trend continues for many of us after we retire from our careers as nurses, doctors, first responders, and therapists in every field. Many of my former colleagues continue to work in food banks and soup kitchens, to teach, and to volunteer to help those in need.

I do not. The pandemic forced me into isolation, and I discovered that I rather enjoyed it. It afforded me uninterrupted time for reading, writing, walking, and meditation. For silence. For reflection. I prefer to call it solitude...and I have continued to cultivate it in my life.

Still, I do help out here and there. With family and friends, their dogs, and especially the grandchildren. The goal is to make life just a little easier for them whenever I can. This week it involved a trip to Pittsburgh to deep clean a house for my son as he prepares to move in...a task he did not have the time for. Luckily, a friend offered to help me, someone who (for reasons I do not comprehend) actually likes to clean! And clean, we did...even though we all know that:

😉

But this is the thing. We were rewarded with his deep and sincere gratitude. His mood shifted. A burden lifted. It marked a new start for him. It was a joy to see.

And it also worked for me.

The gloom that blankets the world because of the steadily deteriorating state of the news, day after day witnessing cruelty, dishonesty, greed, and now war...also lifted for me. I felt a quiet sense of joy. Of accomplishment. Of connection. 

Of course, we all extend kindness to others. We help out when and where we can. We don't always expect or enjoy an outpouring of appreciation or any compensation. We do it out of the generosity of our hearts whether or not we are thanked or even acknowledged for it. Still, our intentions, our efforts, and the sacrifices we make are rewarded when what we do brings relief, gratitude, and even a faint ray of optimism to someone else. When their spirits lift. When they can relax and breathe a sigh of relief. When they can smile again...which is what we all need right now.

"No act of kindness,

no matter how small,

is ever wasted."

~Aesop~

If things are getting you down right now--your finances are suffering, you're in poor health, a relationship has gone sour, you've experienced a major loss, you feel frustrated by the state of the planet and its people, war scares you...whatever--remember there is hope. If you want to feel better, extend a small act of kindness.

"The world is full of kind people.

If you can't find one, be one."

~attribution unknown~

 

If you can't muster the strength or motivation to reach out and you need help yourself, do as Mr. Rogers suggests:

"Look for the helpers.

You will always find people

who are helping."

~Mr. Rogers~

jan