Lose That to Gain This
I walked out of the building taking notes on my phone. Immediately I felt awkward doing so. All the men and women around me needed canes to walk and it wasn’t because of old age.
After spending some time at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia today, walking with my head buried in my phone seemed selfish, so I put it down. I actually stopped, opened my purse, turned the ringer to the off position and happily dropped the little sidekick in my bag as I walked back to my car.
A man walked by and smiled. His teeth were crooked and he looked worn; perhaps a life well lived serving his country. The least I could do, smile and say hello. Then a woman, her eyes were crossed and she walked with her right arm bent up towards her heart. She, obviously, had suffered an injury that caused extensive damage. To her, I smiled and said hello.
Probably the youngest one in this beautiful facility, I could feel the warmth of my smile and the energy of my sincere hello leave my body and lift the spirits of those around me.
Once outside, I noticed the beautiful care taken to protect the lawn and gardens. The flowers were in full bloom and a huge bumblebee was enjoying his role in pollinating the area. It was so beautiful, so raw.
How many times a day do I miss the little things?
Last week I read a blog by a southern girl. It inspired me to enjoy the life of living in the south more than I already had. She challenged her readers to a few items that would increase their opportunity to share the energy of politeness and to bring warm feelings to others. To love unconditionally, perhaps.
Today, as I reflect on my desire to live my life as a true Wellness Warrior, I question some of the decisions I’ve made up to this point.
I shared an extremely sensitive and painful story with a man today. At the end, he looked at me and told me that he was amazed at how I could take a painful memory and see only the good in it and choose to focus only on that, to not hurt others in the process of sharing the truth. Then I visited the VA. It was here that his words rang true to me and the blog I read last week reminded me of the simple things we can do every day to positively affect the lives of others.
Today, I believe this is the definition of a Wellness Warrior.
We are constantly in a battle for the newest, the best, the most expensive, or least, which can be incredibly competitive and be angering all the same. We cut others down to make ourselves look better. We debate not to learn from others but to prove our point and our smartness. We lie, cheat, and steal. We forget the sacrifices of others and we encourage propaganda and fear to run our lives.
Today my tidbit of encouragement is this:
Put down the things in life that cause distractions from the beauty that lies all around us. Today, I encourage you to lose that to gain this.
~ In all things Wellness ~