Put one foot in front of the other....

And soon you'll be walking across the floor, or in some cases~soon you will be running a full lap around the track. Kris Kringle taught the Winter Warlock a very valuable lesson with that lyric and at 44 years old, I am finally learning it too.

I had the pleasure of spending time this evening at the track with my sister KT and her boyfriend Rich as I attempted to improve on my running from last week. Still an extreme novice to the concept of running, especially outside in public, it was great to have Rich join us and share his knowledge of the sport. My intention is to improve enough to run a full 5k alongside my sister, although right now I am taking it one lap at a time.

And thus, tonight's moment of gratitude. With each of us moving at our own pace on the track, completing a full lap felt great, but still really difficult. Not once, but twice this evening~selfless words of  of encouragement erased years of memories that haunted me from phys-ed class. Until last week, I have NEVER run a full lap on a track. I received constant negative feedback in elementary, middle and high school for not being able to do it and allowed those words to define me. But NOT ANYMORE.

During one lap, as Rich passed me~he shouted "great job, burn up that track!" And later when he joined me for a lap, as we approached the mark, he encouraged me to go a few more steps AND I DID! The best part is that I know that his words were genuine because all he cares about is people doing their best. Too often in this world, people use words and actions to manipulate situations for their own benefit. It is only when someone expects nothing in return, that those words can touch a person on a soul level.

So today, on this 21st day of June 2011, I am grateful for kind words and selfless encouragement that I was the beneficiary of and hope to bestow on others as I go forward.

Peace & Love,
Mandy

Humanity At Its Finest

If the Jeopardy clue was "the one thing that makes you truly happy" - I would be hard pressed to ring in for the answer because I could not limit it to one "thing" and by virtue of the game, Alex would tell me "I'm sorry, the answer we were looking for was _______? But then again, how would he know what makes me happy versus the two contestants next to me?

Today I had time to really think about this question as I drove to the town of Monson, Mass with some food donations for the tornado stricken town. I was truly happy to have my family and their unconditional love. I was happy to have transportation to actually travel to Monson and offer some help. I was thankful for my health and able body that I sometimes struggle to be kind to and respect. But it wasn't until I arrived at The First Church on Main Street and spent time with some amazing  people that I felt true joy and happiness.

I was witness first hand to people helping people because it was the right thing to do. It was not about the money or the glory, it was about giving of oneself to another human being in need. It didn't matter if someone was washing dishes in the church kitchen or tearing apart broken chimneys and buildings that littered so many lawns in town, there was kindness in the air and it was beautiful. Amidst all the devastation and piles of rubble, there was a feeling that things were going to be okay. It didn't matter if you were from Monson, Mass or a small town in CT, people were "truly happy" to have support in any form you could offer.

I am thankful for the opportunity to share a moment of absolute kindness and see humanity at its finest on this 17th day of June 2011.

Peace & Love,
Mandy