Community service

Recently, a retired priest shared a personal experience.

The priest explained that for a period of some years he had been part of a small volunteer group. This group was formed in the parish to arrange regular visits to a nearby correctional facility that housed 700 prisoners. Every Saturday, the priest accompanied "the committee," as he called it, to the prison.

He was struck in particular by the efforts of one of the group's members, a man whom the priest described as having "great faith." It turns out the parishioner was a former police officer, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who had retired from the force after 22 years of service. He had then joined CSIS, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

These new duties apparently did not prevent him from remaining devoted to his religion: he attended Mass every morning, and continued visiting the inmates on weekends.

The priest marvelled at how a police officer, who for decades had worked to send offenders to prison, could now devote his time to helping people behind bars.

I'm glad he shared this reminiscence. It serves as a reminder that we can always make an effort to recognize the needs of fellow human beings, regardless of the circumstances.

A reminder to think positively

Recent weeks have been filled with extra meetings and activities and preciously little time to write. The busy season is upon us and it's harder to manage life's demands and the time available.

Perhaps you're like me, and wish you could hold a stopwatch and just go "click." With that "click," I fantasize about having the power to stop all activity around me and allow myself the breathing room to accomplish whatever I like until I'm ready to step back into the vortex of life and of moving time. What a luxury that would be!

Psychologists say it helps to tackle projects in small pieces and to focus on positive thoughts. A positive attitude can make daily challenges, well, seem better, and also yield better results. This mindset is something that does not come naturally to me.

As I face another week, I'll lean on this quote from singer Willie Nelson:

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results."

I know it makes sense...I just have to stir up some willpower to focus on the sunny side of life.

One more for inspiration:

"The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible."
-Anonymous.

Okay! I'm ready to sing in the rain.
-----------
>To send to a friend, click on the envelope icon.

The benefits of a positive attitude

The relative quiet of a Sunday is always a good time to reflect on the week that passed and to take a look at the week ahead.

Recently, I read a quotation from the Dalai Lama that resonates with its simplicity but also with its positive nature. If there's something I think we can all aspire to, it's to be more positive. This applies especially to me. When I was younger, I seemed to naturally lean toward negativity. To some extent, I still do, but much less so, because I've been working on seeing things differently.

If you feel the world is going to hell in a handbasket, it doesn't do any good to wail and make it worse. Turn the perspective around, and at the very least you'll feel better, because by seeing the positive aspect of a situation, you're contributing to make something better, even if it's a little thing like attitude.

It helps to remember that negative thoughts also contribute to stress, and we know that stress kills.

The easiest way to inject some positivity into life, is to start out by being thankful. Look around you in the morning or in the evening and see what you can be grateful for.

Here's that quote:

“Everyday, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”

The Dalai Lama recognizes how all things are connected and how his own outlook can affect the whole.

It's an affirmation that costs me nothing to try. And like the words of so many other sages and spiritual leaders, it could literally change my life.

Notes:
1.The Dalai Lama was quoted in Zen Habits, a web site about life balance with close to 74,000 subscribers.

2.If you'd like to read more about giving thanks, see 8 Tremendously Important Ways That Gratitude Can Change Your Life.

3. The photo is courtesy of Damien Moorehouse who made it available on the stock photo site, http://www.sxc.hu/.

-----------
>To send to a friend, click on the envelope icon.

A senior shows us how to think positively

They say having the right attitude is everything.

My grandmother is a case in point. At the age of 102 she's still going strong and living in a little town in Italy called Colmurano.

She still walks to the town's coffee shop/bar for a drink and a little socializing. Her health is quite good, although her short-term memory occasionally slips. She still goes to the hairdresser. The mayor frequently asks her to attend ribbon-cuttings and special events.

She loves nature and being around children and has a great faith in a higher power watching over us. During the Second World War, she was a single mom with eight children to take care of. But throughout her life, she's looked at the bright side of things. She never sees the glass as half-empty; for her, it's always half-full.

Her positive attitude is reflected in her wit. She recently made an appointment to see her doctor because she "wanted to see how he was doing." (!)