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Monthly Archives: April 2018

End of Life Kindness 

“Be kind…the moments I regret the most are the ones I could have been kinder.”  Barbara Bush

 

With the passing of Barbara Bush, many of her quotes have hit social media.  It seems to me, that being in the public eye seemed to bring out the best of Barbara Bush. Reading these quotes have restored some of my faith in womankind.  She was a true beacon of light. With the passing from life to death comes wisdom.  We can all learn from those that were born before us. Today, I welcome our guest blogger, Cindy Edge to discuss her insights.

“I have had the privilege as a professional nurse to work with oncology (cancer) and hospice patients.  They often have insights and perspectives about life and death that have been beacons for my own life.  As these patients and their family and friends deal with loss and grief, the patient’s themselves become the teachers.  I have intently listened to their stories, their hopes, dreams and regrets. In listening to their stories, I have learned not to fear death.  But more importantly, these rare insights have taught me how to live.  I know with certainty that no small act of kindness is wasted, and can in fact make a huge difference.  I would encourage you to look for opportunities to do small random acts of kindness in everyday life.  The impact may be life-changing.”  

Cindy Edge

Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com  I love hearing your kindness stories.  Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook! 

Sympathetic Strings and Hugs

We enjoyed a beautiful 85 degree day at Silver Dollar City’s Festival of Wonder this week. We were totally amazed by the earth harp. The harp strings were over 75 feet long stretched the full length of the auditorium above our heads.  When the music played it was like being inside a giant cello, a very different perspective for experiencing  the beautiful music of William Close & The Earth Harp Collective. William Close was a finalist of the 2012 season of America’s Got Talent and a creative genius that has invented over 100 musical instruments, four of which he played during the performance, including the star of the show, the earth harp.  When he plays the earth harp he wears gloves covered in violin resin.  He runs his hands along the strings until they vibrate.  It was a glorious performance.

William Close explained that he would not play the strings on the outer edges because those were sympathetic strings.  Sympathetic strings reinforce and prolong the sound by reflecting the sound of the played strings through synchronous vibration.  In other words, non-played strings vibrate in sympathy to other strings being played.  Isn’t that what kindness is; people reacting in sympathy to others and therefore, raising the vibration of love.  When you do a kind act the act is reflected and further enhances all the people affected by the act.  I’m in gratitude to all the people on the kindness journey.  Together we can reinforce and further vibrate the effects of a kind act.

I was fortunate to sit next to a handicapped teen boy who was unable to express his words in comprehensible English. He seemed to enjoy the concert.  During the concert he would grab my hand to hold it. I told his dismayed mom It was ok. At the end of the concert he went and hugged my husband with his worried mom looking on.  I told him I needed a hug, too.  I did that so his anxious mom would relax and enjoy that special moment where we accepted her son’s unconventional ways. She explained he is such a loving child. In that moment I knew what living kinder is all about, loving and hugging more and being each other’s sympathetic string.

Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com  I love hearing your kindness stories.  Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook! 

Cultivating Happiness

One of the benefits of this year’s cold spring is enjoying my daffodil blossoms for over a month. It is so miraculous how the daffodil bulbs know it is time to bloom each spring. They look so cheerful, a true harbinger of spring. A quote by Jorge Luis Borges comes to mind: “Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers, plant your own garden and decorate your soul.”  It made me think about how some people just bloom in happiness and others just don’t.

  1. There are people that generate happiness. Just like the daffodils, they will bloom year after year bringing love and beauty into the world. They don’t rely on chance or other people; they make the world a more colorful, happy place. It does take time for happiness to blossom and to have miracles. Sometimes the flower is the miracle.  Sometime it is the giving of the flower.  People with internally generated happiness easily reflect this happiness.
  2.   There are people that just do not have happiness in their life. They rather spend their energy on judging, complaining on what is wrong in the world. They do not realize if they give happiness they will have more happiness than they ever thought possible. They easily see only the bad in others, since that is what they feel inside.  “Poor me I have no daffodils.”
  3. There are also people who wait to get their happiness from others.  They will wait to be given daffodils and will be upset if they don’t get them.  They think happiness is derived from their environment and not from their own inner hearts and inner work.

Of course our hearts don’t always live in just one place, but what a happier world it would be if we held more happiness is our hearts. What does happiness have to do with kindness? Everything! My premise is if you are consumed with your own negativity and constant complaining, it is difficult to be kind to others. Go pick some daffodils this spring and spread the joy.

 

Staying in Touch: Barbara Hirsh can be reached at info@LiveKinder.com  I love hearing your kindness stories.  Please sign-up for almost weekly kindness message at www.LiveKinder.com or follow LiveKinder on Facebook! 

Everyone thinks they are kind, but how kind are you, really?  Live Kinder helps you consider how you can be kinder.  Order the book for yourself and others to help make our world a kinder place.