Think of all the people who have touched your life in significant, positive ways. The number of positive people I've encountered over time far outnumbers the negative encounters, and many of those positive encounters included people who did not have to go the extra mile to support me, but they did. Who were/are those people and what did they do?
- Parents - so much love, sacrifice, time, energy
- Siblings - countless gifts of love and support over the years
- Partner, cousins, children, friends - endless attention, care
- Colleagues, neighbors - multiple acts of kindness, care
- Public servants, teachers - a steady stream of service and care over the years
- Strangers - often there at the just right moment to help out with acts great and small
We often don't spend time discussing the good, because there is typically far more good than bad in our lives. The bad is the abberation, the illness, the problem, the focus for change.
Those that are nearest and dearest to us bring the good, but also can bring the bad--the more intimate our relationships the more room there is for a range of experiences, emotions, and impact. None of us are always as good as we want to be and none of us always have what another person needs.
I am grateful for all the good people I've encountered in life and the many, many ways they have impacted my life for the better. I hope that I can repay their acts by doing my best by others too. Onward.
