So many divisive incidents constantly bombard our lives and hearts these days. I won’t write out the long list I’m thinking of as I don’t want to bombard you with them. In thinking about a post this week, I wanted to address the kindness we should offer each other and strangers. If I had written that post, it would have been so long no one would read it. Continue reading
Tag: kindness
Yesterday we awoke to the sound of rain. After two sunny days, it was a disappointment. We’d like summer to last a little longer than two days. Not much opportunity to get out and work in the yard or do other outdoor activities.
But there was something new on our calendar. Well, not exactly new. Only half new.
Our financial advisor for the last 15-plus years is a kind and gentle man. He is someone we trust and appreciate for many reasons. One of those reasons is how and where we meet when we need to sign documents or discuss our financial situation.
A few days ago I mentioned to Bob the stresses we have all borne during the pandemic. And now we’re watching the destruction of people and their cities in Ukraine.
Then we saw this photo (above) on our grandson’s Facebook page. What a heartwarming moment that was! They live in Tennessee, and we’ve never held that little girl or seen her in person. Photos and videos become treasures in an instant!
Experiencing a bit of cabin fever? Government restrictions related to the coronavirus bugging you? Looking for a quick cure for cabin fever? Keep reading!
Today we bring an expert to the blog to share tips for coping with cabin fever. Our expert has four years or more under her belt of being confined. Chronic pain has been her nemesis, but her tips will apply as well to cabin fever patients.
Here’s a list of helpful tips and hints for coping with the frustrating symptoms associated with cabin fever:
- Grab a good book and start reading. Need help finding a book? Check out book descriptions and reviews on Goodreads.
- Do a jigsaw puzzle. It may seem a bit old-school, but they can be lots of good fun unless you have cats who want to help!
- Schedule a movie and popcorn night. Especially popular if you have children around.
- Call a friend or two you haven’t touched base with in a while.
- Get out some board games or a deck of cards.
- Sort through old photos.
- Try a new hobby, like knitting, crocheting, stained glass, writing poetry, or Sudoku.
- Pour through cookbooks looking for a new recipe to try out.
- Start pre-spring cleaning. That way you won’t have so much to do when the good weather arrives.
- That home improvement project you’ve been postponing is something you could work on.
- How about adult coloring? Check out these sites for good resources to get you started: Johanna Basford, Colorit, Art Is Fun!, and The Spruce Crafts.
- If you’re a TV watcher, catch the newest season of your favorite show on Netflix.
- Begin researching family history and start a family tree.
- Plan a weekend getaway for after the restrictions are lifted.
- Enjoy reading aloud rather than alone and silently? Maybe this is a good family activity if you have young readers.
- Get some form of exercise. If you can get outside and continue social distancing, take a short walk, say 15 minutes. Or perhaps you have some slightly never used exercise equipment you could put to good use.
- Continue to engage your faith or spiritual life through reading and/or prayer, or both.
- Think about that spring garden. Perhaps it’s time to draw up a plan for what you want to plant and how.
- Give in to that power nap. It’s amazing how much that few minutes improves your attitude.
- Try meditation.
- Plan and treat your family to a picnic. Cook up hamburgers and hot dogs and all the fixings. Then spread a cheerful tablecloth or blanket on the floor and get out the paper goods and plastic forks and knives. Add some chips and condiments and have fun!
- If you’re a writer, try writing in a different genre than usual.
And lastly, remember to practice kindness even if you are self-quarantined with your family–may be just you and your partner or spouse, and maybe a few kids, or some other configuration of family. Spread kindness even in these different and difficult times.
Image attributions:
Featured image: David Mark from Pixabay
Quotation: Random Acts of Kindness
An infusion of kindness throughout our individual lives and relationships, our cities, towns, country, and the world is needed.
I came across these words from Albert Schweitzer recently. They offer wisdom and hope in considering how we can spread kindness.
Think for a moment about evaporating the angst, hatred, racism, and prejudice at work in today’s world.
Featured Image Attribution: The Extraordinary Businesswoman
There is no friend like the old friend, who has shared our morning days,
No greeting like his welcome, no homage like his praise:
Fame is the scentless sunflower, with gaudy crown of gold;
But friendship is the breathing rose, with sweets in every fold.
~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Sunflowers draw their energy and warmth from the sun. That one fact prevents us from growing them on our property. Living in a shady, forested mini-wood has its drawbacks.
Yet, sunflowers bring cheer, energy, brightness, and good feelings whether growing in your yard or neighboring field, or in a vase on a table in your living room or on your deck.
Although they can’t speak aloud to us, their message is one of friendship and good feelings. Odd that man is incapable, even with his wide vocabulary, of extending kindness to those around him.
We could take a lesson from the sunflower as she exudes grace and acceptance of the world around her. She allows chipmunks, squirrels, bees, and others to feast at her center filled with seeds and pollen.
And where does she find what she needs for tomorrow and the next day? She spends her days tracking the sun to warm herself and attract pollinators. In the morning, she is positioned to face the sun as it rises to prepare herself for another day of work, or is it pleasure? I doubt we’ll ever know.
Licensing with Creative Commons
Life in the Slow Lane by Sherrey Meyer is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
