I am now "Auntie" to a precious little boy named Colton. It fills my soul with joy to welcome this new bundle of love into our family.
All of this "snuggle time" had me thinking it would be nice to fill our emotional "love tanks" and spend a little time focusing on our mental health by delving into "connections". |
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel" -Maya Angelou.
Relationships make the world go 'round. Shared experiences, & mutual connections make life worth living; there is strength and power in numbers, "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much" – Helen Keller.
The experience of becoming an Auntie (for a second lil' pumpkin) reminded me of how important our interpersonal connections are. Every day you are inundated with interactions among people: the postman, the neighbor, a fellow driver...so on and so forth. You can "connect" with anyone; a service representative at the gym, a host at a restaurant, even a telemarketer. |
"Strangers can become best friends just as easy as best friends can become strangers"--Unknown
Ultimately we all have the ability to find a network of kindness that will love you, that will support you, and that will see the beauty in your "flaws".
Some might call that network of support "family". In my humble opinion, blood-relation does not necessarily correlate a supportive environment--so I say, heck with it all-surround yourself with those you love! |
In my mind, there is no magic formula that equates to a "perfect family" or "perfect network". I think a supportive environment can include a diverse group of individuals including: friends, parents, siblings, in-laws, spouses, significant others, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, pets, coworkers, mentors, nephews nieces, children, etc.. Every day presents a new opportunity to expand that network by showing kindness to others.
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"I love when you look at someone with a smile on your face, and they break into a smile back at you, not because they know why you're smiling, but because you're happy, and that's enough to make them happy"--Anonymous
"Kindness melts defenses. Kindness softens edges. Kindness pierces armor. Kindness eradicates shame. Kindness lightens loads. Kindness awakens hope. Kindness clears debris. Kindness invites connection. Kindness opens hearts. Kindness bridges souls. Kindness inspires kindness. Let us always be kind" -Jeff Brown
Namaste,
Christy