Today’s blog post was going to be a quote from my dear friend, Lina Lipton - also, my grandmother’s best friend, a fabulous woman, vintage 1923.

She said to me on the phone

"Each of us: We have to save humanity. And, we also have to look after, and take care of, ourselves.

The little things you do, they make an impact, only sometimes it is slowly, slowly….you have to be patient"

She finished up warning me to make sure I was looking after myself, resting, reflecting, having fun outside of work etc, all in order so that I could present my best self forward. At the time it actually made me smile and I knew it was true, even though I look around the world and I get so frustrated and saddened and less-than-positive, even though there are SO many positive and wonderful people are out there doing so many positive and wonderful things.

This also came after a conversation about a tale/story I am researching for telling purposes, which warns/cautions about believing that one can speed up time (which, I am hoping is different from acting as a catalyst;)). Speeding up time not being in the domain of man, nor our responsibility, our responsibility being in this world, the world of action…it is also a tale of humility and intent - the idea that simple, positive intent, unclouded by intellect, is inherent and necessary to the secret of saving oneself…and possibly, humanity…

So I was about to write about this, a slightly different iteration on Ghandi’s "be the change you want to see in the world" and then I got an email from a friend and journalist who has to cover one of the myriad of conflicts going on in the world today and I am instead thinking: WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD?!

Just looking at the news today I am wondering what is going on and how we got here… and I am wondering where is the joy? Surely that is news too?! Yet I have made a promise in the last week not to get into work mode, or even into a world-scale mode, stress and frustration.

Every person is the world, and so, while on one hand, if the world around us is in turmoil and fear, war and stress, so are we…on another, we are also a world that can show an alternative - of smiles and peace and listening and …of other ways of living together.

So today, even though patience is not a virtue of mine, and even though I have been frustrated at the speed of positive change, and even though I am saddened by the violence, and its potential for war, I am going to take yesterday’s lesson to heart.

I will focus on my inner and outer world:, I am wearing a smile so that I will feel good, and be reminded of joy, and when I meet others I will share  the smile, and thus convey that feeling with others. And I will endeavour to be extra kind. I will feed myself with good food so that I have energy for when it is needed. I will listen deeply to those I meet. Because it is enjoyable. And I will hear and tell stories. Being it is comforting, healing and the most human thing I know to do.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 13th, 2006 at 11:56 pm and is filed under action, change, conversation, knowledge & wisdom, musings, questions, quotes, stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.