Bringing Beauty To A Crazy World

In many of my blogs I write about things that we can do to take care of ourselves or our families. I have written about the challenges of retirement, working in retirement, hobbies and even the wolves inside the fence. In other words, I’ve covered a lot of ground. Today, I’d like to challenge my small readership on two fronts.

The first challenge is to share your gifts. Plant some flowers. Paint pictures. Teach a child some craft. Share some skill of yours with someone at work. Go absolutely crazy and help a neighbor with a project. Everyone reading this has a gift that can make the world a more beautiful place. Instead of sharing the divisive meme on social media, share something creative and beautiful instead. Yes, I’m aware. The later won’t get as many “likes”. Who cares? Let’s just stop contributing trash. Speaking of trash, if you don’t feel like sharing your gifts, how about simply picking up? Garbage is EVERYWHERE. Go for a walk with a trash bag and some gloves. Listen to uplifting music and pick up along the way. I have been continually surprised by the vast array of creative gifts the people around me have. I challenge you to share yours and make our world a more beautiful, caring place. Your positivity can be contagious. We need it to spread.

Next I’d like to challenge you to share this blog. Every blog I write doesn’t appeal to everyone. I know that. But I am hoping that over time, I cover such a broad array of topics that more people than just the veteran and first responder community might appreciate the content. I work very hard to stay away from anything that comes even close to politics. Since my goal is generally positive here, I’d like to stay off of the third rail that is politics. That said, almost all of you have some way to share this. Social media. Email. A handwritten note to a friend who you think might like it. So, I’m sure you are asking why I’m challenging you to share this. The answer is simple and two-fold. First, it’s on topic with today’s blog; share your gift. Secondly, we never know what our friends, neighbors, coworkers etc. are going through. I frequently write about wellness and even mention resources on occasion. What if by the simple act of sharing you were able to help someone who was struggling without knowing it? John 13:34

This has been an unusual blog for me. I hope it encourages some of you to share your gifts and make the world a more beautiful place. You may just find that in doing so, you find yourself feeling pretty damn good. The fact is that there is a substantial amount of science that supports the fact that altruistic acts are connected to physical and mental wellness.

If you or someone you know is struggling, there is help. Call 988 or if you are in the Big Bend of Florida call 211. The 2nd Alarm Project has many resources available as well (2ndalarmproject.org). If you are interested in getting notified when a new blog is posted and are not subscribed, please consider subscribing by entering your email in the “subscribe” icon on the home page. Then you’ll get an email each time a new blog is posted. If you appreciate what you have read here, please feel free to share as you are led across your social media or via email. There just might be someone out there who needs to see this content. Thank you all and stay safe.