RADvent: Day 4 - Caring.

I try to find a way daily to show others’ I care… Even the furry and feathered family. Some days, I succeed more than others. But I try to always make myself available for my friends and family. If it’s just 5 minutes, I try to take that time out to listen, chat, laugh and be there. I try to remain in the moment and see others’ acts of kindness, caring and love. And try to always express gratitude.

Be around people today. Observe them. What are other people taking care of?

I had a lazy Sunday on the hillside… Yet, I still witnessed people caring and taking care of that they cared about.

I woke to a spotless driveway that had been covered in a dense, heavy layer of leaves the previous night. I vaguely recalled the rumbling sounds of a lawn mower or some such that morning while I was lying in bed… I discovered it was my neighbors across the road. Not only had she cleaned my driveway, but my grandparents’ too.

With the impending rain, she feared my grandparents’ slipping on the leaves in front of their house and while she was over, she just figured she’d clean up mine as well. I appreciated this so very much. I don’t have the equipment she has so, I’d typically have to rake the leaves up into piles and then, haul them away. Not just in my yard but the grandparents, too. Now, I don’t have to do that!

There were other little random acts of kindness. From my mom bringing me a slice of a delicious cake to a friend lending me a book I’d been wanting to read. And I didn’t even have to leave the hillside to see caring in action.

What are 2 things you began caring about this year? What inspired that?

1) My career and where I’m going in terms of jobs. My original plans have clearly went out the window. I’d love to stay in the world of photography, but if I can’t, I’ve tried to find my passions and hopefully, I can pursue one of them. I can’t say what really inspired this, except, well, accepting the original plan is kind of out the window. I’m 23. Time to get my shit together.

2) Having a home instead of just a house… For the last 3 years, I just occupied this house. I hadn’t made it into a home. My home. Yet, this year, it became more. It became a home. Not just walls I occupied. I put my heart, who I am and what I wish to be into this house. There’s still some little tweaks and such to do. But it is now truly my haven. What inspired this? Well, planning for a future, for more than what I have, to be more than I am.

Caring for yourself takes practice…Eavesdrop on your inner voices and tell them to shape up!

It does take practice… and more recently, I’ve truly been trying to keep the inner bitchy voice in check. Because, well, it’s rotten. Instead, when the bitchy starts creeping in, I try to shift my thoughts to those that are more positive, uplifting and less Psh, I can’t believe you said that! Ugh, you’re so annoying! because, yes, a select little inner voice is THAT bitchy and snarky…

I’m amazed at the difference in my feelings about not just myself, but others around me, when I shift the bitchy inner voice to the more loving, caring, kind inner voice. Hopefully, with enough practice, the inner bitchy voice will fade into the background… and the more I shift to the loving, caring inner voice, the stronger it will be. Because right now, I find it so much easier to care for others than myself.

What I don’t give a shit about…

The newest technology in the world of laptops, cell phones, ipads, etc… I don’t need it, I don’t care about it and I’m not impressed by it.

Celebrities and the drama surrounding them. Really, they’re just humans… get over it.

Black Friday sales. It is NOT worth the insanity. I’d rather pay more.

Consumerism in general. Just, ugh…

Having the body that Hollywood and the rest of the world claims I should have. I’d rather be healthy, thanks.

And I could go on… But, I’ll call it good and leave it at that.