Practice Tolerance

Posted in Observations of society and life by smilingbug

It’s our first holiday season with a Christmas tree for my older kids. We have ornaments that they made in school that I’ve kept in boxes and taken out to decorate the house during the season- Star of Davids, a menorah. I have a few ornaments I bought when I couldn’t resist their cuteness- a small white stocking, a red row boat, the South Park characters. Then there are our make shift ornaments like pine cones from outside and draidels hanging by a ribbon. Our lights are all blue because I’ve always put up blue lights to celebrate Channukah and be in the holiday spirit. Multi-faith can be tricky. I wrote about it some time ago and maybe that post was a bit ~~emotional~~ sappy but it is a sensitive topic if you take your faith to heart. As a different person, I experience first hand how tolerant others are in society. I believe tolerance is a word that is overused, under practiced. Everyone wants no war, a compassionate government, a utopian environment where we share and care…yet how many are living those ideals in their day to day lives?

Dalai Lama Quote:

In our human life, tolerance is very important, it helps you overcome difficulties. Without it, tiny things irritate you and you overreact.

Be kind to all. -smilingbug

24Nov2012

Sharing is caring

Posted in It's about the little things by smilingbug

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” ― Albert Camus

24Nov2012

Gifts, …the power of giving

Posted in Loved ones make our world by smilingbug

Tis the season to buy gifts. I usually leave the gift giving for my children to our families since grandparents and relatives are eager to give them wonderful things and they don’t really need more from me. This season we won’t spend the holidays with family and since my older kids are growing up, I felt ready to give them something big on their wish list. I saw an efunny that said something like “America, where we get in line in the middle of the night to buy things the day after we gave thanks for the things we have.” I never cared for Black Friday but I also never bought my kids an expensive electronic and this season (with no holiday travel on the calendar) I gave in to an Xbox for my son and similar special gifts for my daughters. My son told me we could save $150 by going to buy it at 5AM. Then my daughter told me Black Friday was on her bucket list. (go figure!) So we did it. There was no crowd, no lines where we live. As I looked around I recognized the experienced Black Friday-ers who had the eye of the tiger and asked sales associates for certain discounts. As for us, we were newbees, looking around for what we could get on sale but in reality we bought what we had come for and we left. It was still dark when we walked into the parking lot feeling like consumer warriors– being at Target at 5am. -smilingbug

22Nov2012

Give Thanks

Posted in Loved ones make our world by smilingbug

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I am so happy to be home with my family, not running out the door, not rushing to the bus or practice or lessons. This is it, this is the best. Free time with my kids, sleeping in, hanging out together, making menus and arts and crafts, loving life. The reality for three days… For them: fighting over who cooks what, arguing about the arts and crafts being in the way or the muffins not being browned enough, screaming because they don’t get to spend days at their friend’s house, throwing things at each other when they’re frustrated, being bored, being annoyed, not wanting family time, hitting, swinging, hollering, picking, bickering, critiquing, crying, sitting in front of the computer for hours, staring at their Iphones, banging on doors, slamming doors, whining, screaming, hurting. For me: up at 5AM with my toddler, up at 6AM with my baby, up at 7AM with a headache, talking, punishing, coping, helping, explaining, refereeing, washing laundry, folding laundry, shopping, unloading, taking a hot shower, taking Advil, coloring my hair, sending them to their room, hugging them, loving them. For both of us: growing, feeling, healing, loving, hugging, sharing, experiencing, making up, baking, decorating, making crafts, watching funny movies, getting excited about the holiday and the fun it brings. But “Wow” and that is a Clare Dumphey silent “Wow.” Today I heard a newscaster say “let us give, let us forgive, let us give thanks” while wrapping up a story. I look outside of our window and see the beautiful pink sunset sky. I look around my home and I see my family I adore. I remember the sadness for people who are ill, the violence in Gaza, the suffering in hospitals, the real misery for people in bad situations around the world. Then I remember what Gloria said when we were laughing our pants off watching Grown Ups last night:

”Life can be difficult sometimes, it gets bumpy. What with family and kids and things not going exactly like you planned. But that’s what makes it interesting. In life the first act is always exciting. The second act… that is where the depth comes in.”

So “let us give, let us forgive, let us give thanks.” Thank you. -smilingbug

17Nov2012

Little Joys

Posted in It's about the little things by smilingbug

I looked out of the window yesterday and saw the bus pulling up to the stop at the bottom of our hill. I grabbed my keys and pulled my jacket on as I was dashing out of the door. Other than a quick drive, I had been inside for days…caring for little kids, making beds, washing and folding laundry, cleaning dishes, all of the routine tasks that any person running a household does day to day. All of a sudden I was running at full speed in the winter air and all of my surroundings seemed pronounced. The cold air going into my lungs took me back to runs in physical ed class when I was required to run even if it hurt. I looked down on the pavement and tried to step on dry areas so not to slip on black ice or snow. My mind said “thank you for everything in this life, thank you for this cold air, the snowy pavement, the entire world around me” as I took a big breath in and smiled. -smilingbug

16Nov2012

Good Luck

Posted in It's about the little things by smilingbug

Good luck charms bring so many images to mind and they are so comforting. The soft black rocks picked up on family vacations that are scattered around our home. My Grandfather’s saint pendant hanging on his chain that I wear anytime I want to feel safe. The gratitude stones I collected with my kids at the dusty mountain trail across the street from our old house. The red string from Israel my employer gave me that I wear on my wrist. The purple Brazilian wish bracelet that I tied on with three knots and three wishes a couple of years back. I’ve heard it said that no superstition is worth believing in unless you want fear to rule your life. Meanwhile who doesn’t enjoy the imagined or real comforts of a four leaf clover, a horse shoe, eye, chai or ladybug. I wish I still had my azabache that I wore on my necklace when I was nine years old. Lucky charms, the protectors of our destiny? -smilingbug

14Nov2012

Treat Everyone with Respect

Posted in It's about the little things, Life is short and precious by smilingbug

A person I once worked for has an autistic son. I am not too familiar with autism but I believe her son is considered severely autistic. Thanks to technology he is able to communicate on a letter board. It’s amazing to see because during the years that I was around him he did not communicate much. When prompted to answer a question he only made an audible noise some of the time. Those noises he uttered were words to his family and caretaker because they knew what he was trying to say. Now this amazing teenage boy who has dealt with years of challenges– challenges in daily life like just being a part of a school or participating in sports– is writing out his thoughts. Thoughts that we never would have known he even had without a letter board. A blog that he wrote actually inspired me to start my own wordpress and the specific post that moved me was one that said “The best thing about this world is the people in it. Remember to always treat each other with love and respect. We live for such a short time, let’s really have an impact while we are here.” Incredibly inspiring to think that these type of wise and profound thoughts are going on in a brain belonging to a person who until recently had limited communication. What an astounding world we live in. One filled with ecstatic joy, unimaginable sadness and everything in between. -smilingbug