Questions To Ask

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At the end of the day, the only questions that I want going through my hard to turn off mind, especially when it is time for sleep, are important questions.  Some of these include:  Did I love enough? Did I laugh enough?  Did I make a difference?

To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be beautiful, brilliant, rich or perfect.  You just have to care.  Caring comes from the heart and can't be manufactured.  A person either has this empathy within themselves or they don't.  That is not to say that I believe that a person would be able to change to a degree if they tried very hard.  One must be willing to stop the 'all about me me me' syndrome and move on to listen and understand what another person is going through.  

To care means that in some way you are demonstrating your ability to listen and understand what they may be going through.  There will be times that it is something that you may not have gone through yourself, personally, however you are able to listen and understand that it has to be hard.  

We need to be willing to take a chance to be someone else's supporter because sometimes some things only happen once.  And there you are; missing the boat!  It will weigh on your heart if you miss opportunities. All it takes is to try to help someone look for the rainbows when it is raining and when it is dark outside, help them find the stars to light their way.  It is an uplifting moment for both of you.  Perhaps you may think that your light is small, but it can make a big difference in other people's lives so why not let it shine.  

Sometimes just a little compliment can make someone's entire day. As a perfect example, I am going to share what happened to me this past weekend.  A very dear neighbor and friend stopped by with a bouquet of flowers, a card and a helium balloon.  Just for me. Knowing that I had been going through some difficult health issues and for several reasons, this past weekend had been very tough. She came over to let me know that she was thinking of me. She most definitely has her own issues, as we all do.  She took the time to think about me.  How special is that?  

There have been times in the past that I have been there for her. She needed to water exercise and was being driven across the way to make this happen.  We have a pool and live across the street. COME ON OVER.  That was just a no brainer.  And when I could get off work, I could join her.  That is what friends are for.  Never expecting anything in return.  I just wanted to offer to her whatever I could in order to help her through what she was experiencing.    

One thing that I do for me, just to try to help my psyche feel better, is to get dressed nicely.  It helps me to put a perspective in my day when I am not feeling like myself.  This dear friend noticed and continued to tell me how good I was looking.  I can tell you that the whole package of her walking over, handing me the bouquet and hugging me, talking for a bit and giving me a compliment very much so made my day.

As Dr. Suess said, "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory."  Sweet memories hopefully...and believe this will remain in my mind as a very sweet memory.  My Southern upbringing taught me to always acknowledge kindness.  That very evening, I took the time to write a heart felt thank you note to a very dear friend.  Do good for others as it will always come back in unexpected ways. You will be able to answer yes to those questions.  Yes, you loved enough, laughed enough and made a difference.