“Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right there where you are — in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools. You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society — completely forgotten, completely left alone.”
- Mother Teresa (1910-1997); Founder Of The Missionaries Of Charity
Everyday compassion. We don’t have to travel very far to find opportunities to offer compassion! We have them – right here in our homes, the grocery store, the bus stop, the office, the playground.
The leaders I most admire are the folks whose public life and private life match.
They are kind and compassionate to the people in their intimate circle — their families, their staff, their neighbors. The people who act with integrity when no one is looking.
In the worlds of motherhood, psychotherapy, mindfulness and compassion, yoga, spirituality, and poetry in which I swim, someone could have a bagillion followers and be preaching an incredible message…or be a parent going about their day with no fan-fare, her “yoga” in action as she tenderly tends to her own self, helps her toddler step out of the car, or picks up trash on their walk to the park — what matters is that our daily living is infused with compassion – for ourselves and the dear ones right in front of us.
To all of us who show compassion in everyday ways, SWEET LOVE TO YOU! May your day be filled with delight, kindness, and wholeness. (and a sweet nap if you can manage one!)
(Don’t you love the picture of hands holding hearts?! I have been so moved by the photography of Kristi Jackson. Her work evokes a sense of delight and compassion in me. It is light-filled, soft, and soothing. Check out her blog and Etsy shop.)
Blessings of Delight,
Lisa
** If this post resonated with you, check out the Barefoot Barn’s website. Join the growing Barefoot Barn community of soulful folks on Facebook.
Lisa A. McCrohan
May 05, 2012 @ 02:40:24
I LOVE this!! I love everything i see and read on your Blog!! Thank you so much!!
May 05, 2012 @ 18:48:27
Oh Nikky, you made my heart softly smile right now reading this. Like you I write from the heart — the stirrings that are happening there! Many blessings to you!