Kindness Matters

It is no secret that this is a difficult time for many people. Given the reports you read on social media, the world itself is in a state of constant turmoil and the United States, in particular, is going through a tough time.  No matter which side of the political fence you lean, the division seems especially marked right now and people all over the country are witnessing angry attacks on those whose views are different from their own. This is one reason I decided to take an indefinite break from Facebook--I cannot control the posts of others, but I can control my exposure to them and this is the way I am choosing to do that for now.

But, something else is happening too-a movement that may have been born out of frustration, but one that actually has the potential to change the world. If you are reading this, then you have probably been touched by the "Be Kind" movement in some way, even if just a hashtag. It is nothing new--the command dates back thousands of years. In fact, one of the very first scriptures I ever learned was The Golden Rule--"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  Be Kind.

As a little girl, when I came home distraught over the mean comments of a friend or feeling left out of an activity, my mother's advice was often to "kill them with kindness". The words often frustrated me at the time because sometimes I think I wanted her to give me permission to be mean back. But, she was so much wiser than that.  She knew that the sting of a bitter retort often backfires and leaves the giver feeling worse than the receiver.

I believe that God can bring good from any situation if we let Him. I have experienced it firsthand many, many times. Maybe, just maybe, the Be Kind movement is just that.

Perhaps He is working slowly, quietly, behind the scenes with all those who will listen, to create a voice that is louder than the negative ones we hear and read. Being kind could lead to a world where we can appreciate our differences-even different political views-and know that they are all equally important in creating a balanced world. A world full of kindness.

 

Instagram vs. Facebook + a Challenge

I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook.   Well, actually, it is more of a like/hate relationship. I find myself constantly on the verge of completing deleting my account, especially lately.  I enjoy re-connecting with old friends, keeping up with friends and family,  and the easy access to information about scheduled events in which I participate.  But, I despise the bombardment of advertising, the plethora of erroneous information that is presented as good and true and the political posts of friends, regardless of which way they lean.  I sometimes hide the posts of FB friends who are particularly offensive, but more often than not, I just scroll past many posts, looking for someone's vacation pictures or news about my next workout or high school reunion.   I am a bit "old-school" in thinking that political opinions and such are private matters and a dissenting post by a friend on Facebook is not going to change anybody's mind about an issue---in fact, it generally does just the opposite by making them even more set on their own opinion.  (And it certainly makes me less likely to read anything they post at all).

Therefore, I find myself enjoying Instagram more and more as my primary social media platform.   Because it is visually based, there is not a lot of room for ugly political posts or arguments between people.  I know some exist, but they are generally limited to comments of strangers that are hidden from my day-to-day view.

On Instagram, I can view family vacation photos of friends, keep up with what's going on--from the ordinary to the adventure, and even find inspiring photos and quotes.  I can choose who to follow and who follows me, and I find myself inspired to see the beauty rather than the ugliness in this world.  There are no advertisements on Instagram (at least not yet), yet if I feel inclined to purchase something pictured, most websites are easily accessible through comments and hashtags.  I do try to protect the privacy of my young grandchildren, and rarely post their faces without the express permission of their parents.  I also try to never post a location when a child's face is showing because you just never know.  Recently, I have had a couple of spam comments or "likes" on one of my photos, but as soon as I notice them, I block them from my account to try to keep things safe.

And speaking of Instagram, toomorrow is the first day of August (how is that even possible??) and it is time for a new photo Challenge.  August is hot in this part of the country, and in many cases, school begins in just a few short days.  For me, August brings the first day of my official retirement and I hope there will be a few fun adventures in store for me, and you as well.  If you'd like to give this a try, simply post a photo each day and label it with the hashtag listed below.  (I generally click on the photo below and choose to save it to my phone so that I have it readily available when I forget that day's prompt)   Some days, the prompts are easy and I immediately see a way to capture it, but other days are more difficult and I have to play catch-up a few days later once inspiration strikes.  That's the nice thing about this challenge---it really doesn't matter.  :-)

If you are new here and you'd like to play along, leave me a comment below with your Instagram name so that I can follow you.  Your photos might just be the inspiration that I need to complete that day's challenge!

New Year, New Skills

Well, I finally took the plunge and decided to start the year 2009 learning some new skills. In an effort to join the millions of other people using Facebook and to keep in touch with some of them, I created a profile and am now trying to "learn the ropes". I've already re-connected with a couple of faces from my past, so that's been fun.

Yesterday, I also decided to try out my new Cricut machine and the wall vinyl that I'd purchased. I certainly have lots more to learn about how the machine works and all, but my first attempt turned out pretty well. So well, in fact, that I applied it to my living room wall! (in the photo, some of the words seem to be crooked, but in real life, they look okay)
What do you think?