Stop Interrupting Others When They Are Speaking

We have become a nation of interrupters, as though what we have to say is more important than anyone else’s opinion or thoughts. Think before you speak. If a friend is confiding in you, consider if your words can truly help them. Many people interrupt or relate the problem back to themselves instead of thoughtfully responding to the person who is confiding in them. Reflect on what you have heard and then reply. This is not only basic manners but also means a lot to the person to whom you are listening. I guarantee you will start to notice when you are interrupted once you have stopped. Listening is an act of love.

Friends Are Not Just for Facebook

My newer pals are always kind of amazed that I have such a large group of friends, especially from back home in West Virginia. I attribute that to a few things: many of us come from Irish and Scottish stock, so we tend to be a wee bit clannish. We also check in on each other and get together quite regularly. There are the occasional squabbles but when trouble comes knocking, we have each other’s backs all the way. It’s a beautiful thing. When somebody moves, we are there to pack and tape up boxes. When somebody is sick, we are there with homemade soup and a listening ear. To me, friendship is one of the most important things in the world and it is not just a phenomenon that takes place on social media.

Have Mercy

Donate a gift through Mercy Corps. It’s as simple as this: choose a gift on their website. The recipient gets a card that explains the gift and donation made in their name, and your gift helps families in need. Visit gifts.mercycorps.org to view the gift selection, ranging from clean water to a goat. You can choose to remain anonymous or you can personalize with a friendly note to a family on another part of the globe. It’s really nice to see how your gift is of benefit and people have developed long-distance friendships through this kindly organization. Often, the daily headlines are reflected by the regions presented. Currently, families affected by Ebola need all the help we can give them.

Friend a Family

Sponsor a low-income family via boxproject.org. The Box Project joins struggling families in depressed regions of rural America with individuals or groups who send about $50 worth of food, clothing, and medical supplies monthly. The idea is not just to provide financial support, but emotional support as well. Most participants develop long-term relationships over many years, cemented through letters. In addition, the organization encourages volunteers to learn about where the family they help lives, so they can impact public services and local policy. I know this is helping a lot of people in my home state of West Virginia where hard times remain.

Gaggles For Good

Plan an outing with a group of friends that will positively impact society. Instead of just going to the movies again, gang up for the good of all. Together, plant a community garden, help clean up a schoolyard, or volunteer for a nonprofit organization. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are regular beach clean-up efforts and it is enormously rewarding to see the unmarred beauty beneath the trash. Find your local chapter of “Heal The Bay,” and get a little sun, sand and healing for you, your friends, and your closest coast.

True Love Does Not Require a Diamond

Precious gems and metals leave a horrific trail of pollution and human rights abuses. Not much more needs to be said about this one without getting into some seriously depressing territory, but we cannot discuss jewelry without acknowledging that many people pay a steep price in order to mine, produce, and export all those shiny little rocks we coyly call “a girl’s best friend.” There are so many ways to show your love and no suffering should be involved. Ever.

Hold a Closet Swap Soiree

You can share your surplus clothes with friends and acquaintances by throwing a “naked lady party.” This is a fun way to exchange clothes as well as other items. First, set a date, and invite a group of friends to your house (we do ladies only, but men could be included,too) and ask everybody to bring some clothes that they don’t want anymore. Set up your living room as a shop, designating different areas for guests to deposit their items-dresses in one pile, sweaters in another, and so on. Be sure to make a bedroom available to those friends who are too shy to try on clothes in company. We usually have wine and some snacks, and we end up bags of new-to-us clothing. Don’t be bashful-things that you are heartily sick of will be starring in somebody else’s wardrobe, and the surplus can be dispatched to the thrift store.

Inspiration into Action

 

Some inspiration for the rest of your week:

The only way to have a friend is to be one.

    - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have Mercy

Donate a gift through Mercy Corps. It’s as simple as this: choose a gift on their website. The recipient gets a card that explains the gift and donation made in their name, and your gift helps families in need. Visit gifts.mercycorps.org to view the gift selection, ranging from clean water to a goat. You can choose to remain anonymous or you can personalize with a friendly note to a family on another part of the globe. It’s really nice to see how your gift is of benefit and people have developed long-distance friendships through this kindly organization. Often, the daily headlines are reflected by the regions presented. Currently, families affected by Ebola need all the help we can give them.

Your Friends from the Farm

Gene and Lorri Bauston found a living sheep abandoned on a stockyard “dead pile” in 1986. Once they recovered from the shock, they rescued the sheep, named her Hilda, and went to work creating the Farm Sanctuary. Within ten years, Farm Sanctuary became the nation’s largest farm animal rescue and protection organization. They now have a New York shelter and one in California, 100 miles north of Sacramento. Their website is farmsanctuary.org. Not only does their organization rescue thousands of farm animals each year, but they are also involved in groundbreaking campaigns to help animals. Another way you can support this effort is to visit a sanctuary with your kids, as they often include quaint petting zoos with fuzzy critters!

A Friendly Eye

Offer to take care of a neighbor or friend’s home, yard, or pets while they are away on vacation. They will be comfortable knowing their valuables are in good hands.

Offer Unconditional Positive Regard

Be accepting. No matter a person’s race, age, culture, or sexual orientation, accept everyone for who they are. Embrace the beauty of humanity and our myriad differences. By opening your eyes and mind to the possibility of love and friendship, new people will flow into your life and change your perspective in miraculous ways.

Think Good Thoughts

Each morning, I state the intention of my day by thinking about all the good things that are going to happen. I also think good thoughts for my friends and loved ones, especially those going through difficulty. It certainly doesn’t cause any problems and I know it helps me, a lot.

Make a Social Call

Simply pick up the phone and call a good friend to talk about what is on your mind. Bare your soul; don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Talk about what is going on in the world and what you can do about it. In this age of texting and Twitter, I have discovered the old-fashioned phone call is very welcome.

Stop Interrupting Others When They Are Speaking

    We have become a nation of interrupters, as though what we have to say is more important than anyone else’s opinion or thoughts. Think before you speak. If a friend is confiding in you, consider if your words can truly help them. Many people interrupt or relate the problem back to themselves instead of thoughtfully responding to the person who is confiding in them. Reflect on what you have heard and then reply. This is not only basic manners but also means a lot to the person to whom you are listening. I guarantee you will start to notice when you are interrupted once you have stopped. Listening is an act of love.

Gaggles For Good

    Plan an outing with a group of friends that will positively impact society. Instead of just going to the movies again, gang up for the good of all. Together, plant a community garden, help clean up a schoolyard, or volunteer for a nonprofit organization. In the San Francisco Bay Area, there are regular beach clean-up efforts and it is enormously rewarding to see the unmarred beauty beneath the trash. Find your local chapter of “Heal The Bay,” and get a little sun, sand and healing for you, your friends, and your closest coast.

Mindful Memo

    Write a note of gratitude to the people in your everyday life who make a difference-the mailman, a grocery clerk, or the greeter at the mall. Tell your friends about their great service so their businesses can grow. Just by paying attention to those who can so easily go unnoticed (especially if your smartphone is glued to your hand), you can enrich each other’s lives a little each day.

Love the Ones You’re With

    I have seen this excellent exercise put into practice at work, family reunions, and dinner parties. It never fails to bring a group of people closer, and it brings out the best in anyone. Call everyone to attention and say you want to acknowledge your appreciation for the group. Time your moment well-whenever there is a lull in conversation would be best and never at the beginning of a get-together.

The Good Old Days and the Good New Days

    Share happy memories. Keep in touch with a friend by sending an old photo to them via snail mail and write a short note about the day it was taken on the back of the photo.

A Bagel and a Hug

    It’s easy to feel overwhelmed from everything that life throws your way. If you notice a friend or coworker struggling, be there for them. Bring them a bagel or coffee, or something simple to show them that you care. Take their mind off their challenges, if only for a moment.