Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "kindness"
Eva’s Byte #295 – The Glitter of Christmas
“Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” (The Grinch from How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss – 1957)
Operative word—perhaps!
The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered 2020 a vile year, serving us a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce on a silver platter. Limiting this year’s in-person holiday gatherings to only people in your own household is like not touching them with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole.
At least technological advances enable us to keep in virtual touch.
Boo-hooing aside, “perhaps” previous Christmases got away from us, its true meaning suffocated under all the glitter of commercialism. The hustle and bustle of jostling crowds in search of perfect gifts creates a distraction from the reason for the holiday season.
As Charles Dicken’s Ghost of Marley in A Christmas Carol said, “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business…”
If anything, the pandemic has emphasized the true meaning of Christmas—that of giving up one’s self to think of others in various states of financial or psychological need.
Disappointed as we might feel about our socially-distant holiday gatherings this year, kindness is the glitter which fortifies the glory of Christmas.
Merry Christmas! May peace and goodwill prevail.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Operative word—perhaps!
The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered 2020 a vile year, serving us a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce on a silver platter. Limiting this year’s in-person holiday gatherings to only people in your own household is like not touching them with a 39-and-a-half-foot pole.
At least technological advances enable us to keep in virtual touch.
Boo-hooing aside, “perhaps” previous Christmases got away from us, its true meaning suffocated under all the glitter of commercialism. The hustle and bustle of jostling crowds in search of perfect gifts creates a distraction from the reason for the holiday season.
As Charles Dicken’s Ghost of Marley in A Christmas Carol said, “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business…”
If anything, the pandemic has emphasized the true meaning of Christmas—that of giving up one’s self to think of others in various states of financial or psychological need.
Disappointed as we might feel about our socially-distant holiday gatherings this year, kindness is the glitter which fortifies the glory of Christmas.
Merry Christmas! May peace and goodwill prevail.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: https://tinyurl.com/yycm7d2w
Eva’s Byte #429 – The Ripple Effect
The next one in line to approach the counter at my local pharmacy, I stared into space while biding my time. A woman pushing a walker stopped crossways in front of me. Speaking to no one in particular, she asked aloud if anyone had found her wallet, having left that counter moments before.
Both pharmacists, along with the customer currently being helped, the people in line—including myself—feeling helpless, looked into the air around us, as though the wallet might materialize. Meanwhile, to no avail, the distressed woman, rummaged inside her spacious handbag.
I, the closest person to her, noticed several canvas pockets attached to the bar on her walker. One who has a tendency to panic like the woman searching in vain, I dared to ask if she looked inside one of those pockets.
Voila! Fishing out her wallet from pocket no. 1, she thanked me. Everyone in our immediate surroundings gave out a whoop of joy. As someone in line behind me articulated, “This could have turned out badly.”
Not only did I feel great for having made a discernible difference, but the positive impact had a ripple effect among strangers rooting for an underdog.
In the capacity of a writer, the ripple effect of dialoguing has run its course for completing the draft of Chapter 37 (1112 words) along my Contemporary work in progress. I’ve begun paving the way for drafting Chapter 38 with a warm-up of words to be strung into sentences.
*In our compassion for humankind, may each of us remember the power of one can create a positive ripple effect.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Both pharmacists, along with the customer currently being helped, the people in line—including myself—feeling helpless, looked into the air around us, as though the wallet might materialize. Meanwhile, to no avail, the distressed woman, rummaged inside her spacious handbag.
I, the closest person to her, noticed several canvas pockets attached to the bar on her walker. One who has a tendency to panic like the woman searching in vain, I dared to ask if she looked inside one of those pockets.
Voila! Fishing out her wallet from pocket no. 1, she thanked me. Everyone in our immediate surroundings gave out a whoop of joy. As someone in line behind me articulated, “This could have turned out badly.”
Not only did I feel great for having made a discernible difference, but the positive impact had a ripple effect among strangers rooting for an underdog.
In the capacity of a writer, the ripple effect of dialoguing has run its course for completing the draft of Chapter 37 (1112 words) along my Contemporary work in progress. I’ve begun paving the way for drafting Chapter 38 with a warm-up of words to be strung into sentences.
*In our compassion for humankind, may each of us remember the power of one can create a positive ripple effect.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Eva’s Byte #449 – Good Samaritans
Good Samaritans stand out in bas-relief on the landscape of humanity. One can’t attach a price tag to a stranger’s charitable deed which has a positive impact on the recipient.
Good Samaritans who crossed my path this week:
The woman who called out “Miss” as I wheeled a shopping carriage to my vehicle. “You left a bag at the checkout lane.”
The driver who held up traffic so I could merge onto a busy roadway.
The server at a local restaurant who made it his point to hold open the door for my mother and me during our exit.
Good Samaritans empower us to pay forward an act of kindness. A neighbor in my building expressed her appreciation as I held the door open for her to proceed with a laundry cart.
In the capacity of a writer, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel for completing the draft of chapter 46 (1249 words) along my Contemporary work in progress. I’ve begun drafting chapter 47 (242 words thus far).
*May each of us aspire to extend kindness when an opportunity presents itself.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
Good Samaritans who crossed my path this week:
The woman who called out “Miss” as I wheeled a shopping carriage to my vehicle. “You left a bag at the checkout lane.”
The driver who held up traffic so I could merge onto a busy roadway.
The server at a local restaurant who made it his point to hold open the door for my mother and me during our exit.
Good Samaritans empower us to pay forward an act of kindness. A neighbor in my building expressed her appreciation as I held the door open for her to proceed with a laundry cart.
In the capacity of a writer, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel for completing the draft of chapter 46 (1249 words) along my Contemporary work in progress. I’ve begun drafting chapter 47 (242 words thus far).
*May each of us aspire to extend kindness when an opportunity presents itself.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
