National Day of Listening

Be an active listener. When someone else is speaking, it is easy to become distracted by thoughts and external sounds, such as a car horn or other nearby conversations-and by giving in to these distractions you can miss crucial details from the speaker. Let the person who is talking know that you are listening by making eye contact and focusing on the sound of their voice rather than the distractions around you. Additionally, don’t interrupt someone when they are speaking. Listen, then respond. Quite often, people are not looking to be “fixed”-they truly just want to be heard.

Staying in Touch is Good for Everybody

Physical touch is essential for the physical, psychological, and emotional health of human beings. Massage in particular has been shown to help fight depression, decrease blood pressure and cortisol levels, and boost white blood cell counts. It’s safe, all natural, and even a lovely way to care for a friend who is ailing. Best-case scenario-trade massages!

Just Say No to GMO

Buy organic heritage seedlings whenever you can. Most fruits and vegetables have an incredibly diverse range of varieties, but we typically only see one or two different kinds in the grocery store. By choosing to grow heritage plants we can preserve that diversity and give a big green thumbs down to monoculture.

Emit Good Vibes

Take stock of your day-to-day life. Are you giving to others or is there an imbalance? Do your work and your immediate family get 99% of what you offer the world? You can change that in one day. Donate more of your time or money to a charity. Supporting a cause will help keep you informed about social issues and can strengthen your sense of well being, while benefiting others in the process. Additionally, monetary donations are tax deductible, which is really just a bonus: the real reward is not just on April 15 but comes the other 364 days of the year.

Veg Out

https://www.wholesomewave.org/

Have you heard of “food desserts”? I certainly never did until reading last year in The New York Times about entire swaths of urban areas with nothing but corner stores filled with processed, packaged foods and no produce whatsoever. I started paying attention and it is true. There is something you can do about it. By making a donation to WholesomeWave.org, they will provide fresh fruits and veggies to those underserved communities. How great is that? Actually, it is even better,as Wholesome Wave obtains their organic produce from small and mid-sized farmers.

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

    Go for a stroll around the city you live in. Pay attention to the little things you may have been missing, such as the architecture, the perfect picnic spot in a park, the greenery, and the people around you. Spend your money where your heart is, your own community.

Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Heart

    Because the world we exist in today is very much about staying in your head, many of us have to make a concentrated effort to become grounded and in touch with our bodies and the natural world around us. Grounding is a technique for centering yourself within your being. Grounding is the way we can reconnect and balance ourselves through the power of the element of earth. When you see someone driving past talking on their cell phone, you know that they are not grounded. For deep grounding, we recommend a creative visualization or, better yet, a group guided meditation.

Be the Light in Dark Days

    Sometimes we all feel deflated or overwhelmed, someone hurts us or disappoints us, or we hear bad news about a loved one’s medical condition. On those days, when you feel your light has gone out, remember there is always a glimmer of hope and something to be thankful for. Alberty Schweitzer said it well: “Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.”

Ask "How Are You?" and Mean It!

    Ask someone how their day is going and start a conversation. Sometimes people want to talk more than they let on and your interest will show them you care. One day, you'll get the chance to tell some kind-hearted person exactly how you are. Your answer to the question might not always be pretty, but it will feel wonderful to be heard.

Welcome to the World!

     Assemble a baby care kit to help young mothers in need with newborns. With the pandemic and quarantines still continuing, help has never been so necessary for these amazing women and their babies. Lend a helping hand by visiting the Church World Service website for information on what to pack and where to send the shipment for its week-long quarantine at cwsglobal.org/get-involved/cws-kitds/baby-care-kits/html.

Emit Good Vibes

    Take stock of your day-to-day life. Are you giving to others or is there an imbalance? Do you work and your immediate family get 99% of what you offer the world? You can that in one day. Donate more of your time or money to a charity. Supporting a cause will help keep you informed about social issues and can strengthen your sense of well being, while benefiting others in the process. Additionally, monetary donations are tax deductible, which is really just a bonus: the real reward is not just on April 15 but comes the other 364 days of the year.