Perhaps

"When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people". -- Abraham Joshua Heschel

Dilemma - my dragon T-shirt has huge rip - so does it RIP (Rest In Peace) or should I attempt to save it? I do believe this shirt came with me from California to Washington. Making over 20 years only. Oh yeah, I don't sew. But dragon is special energy, ancient wisdom. energy of ancient ancestors. And, yer, I still don't sew. Ok, buttons, I do buttons.

As I ponder this,  I am thinking about the news I listened to last night about the  most powerful storm recorded was bearing down of the islands of the Philippines, super typhoon Haiyan. I know no one living there, but I work a number of people who have family and other loved ones there. As I was going to sleep, I was thinking somehow of a parody of the old song "He's got the Whole World in His Hands". Ok, maybe  a storm far away isn't mine to deal with, but what if it is. I came to mind to just hold the islands and the people in my hands. Is it anything, but self soothing. Again, I don't know.  My heart says love and care for them in the only way I know how prayer. As my mind sort what to pray for or imagine, from the winds dissipating, to seeing people in padded bubbles of energy.

I opened the news right before continuing to see sadly that many people lost their lives in the storm. Devastation was less than expected because it passed more quickly anticipated.

It leads to many thoughts of how easy my life is, my dilemmas pretty miniscule, ripped T-shirt, spotty internet (how many million have no internet or no computer or even shelter, food, safe, water). traffic annoyances (I have a car of my own - millions do not).

I had another interesting experience in the car. In rush hour traffic, someone cut in front of dangerously just missing oncoming traffic. I opened my mouth, a little scared and angry, to exclaim "Why can't . . .
and my mind filled in the sentence with  . . . I be more kind?" Not what I was expecting. Nope not at all.

My mind or spirit had a good point. How do I really what's going, how would I know what their motivation or need maybe - all I saw was an impediment in my world.

How would I know if this action was, wrong, bad, stupid? How is it that I feel so free to slam a heavy negative judgment on one action. How would I know if that action allowed me to be slowed to the pace that changed the paths I crossed today.

So how come I am not kinder?? Is it mine to care about others in the world, not just in the path of nature, but, also, the daily traffic journey. Perhaps. And how about just allowing kindness as a better, more comfortable framework from which to operate and view the world for my own well being.



Perhaps, I should ask how can I be kinder?