Saturday, March 12, 2022

Kindness to Save the World


Come sit with me and let's talk of happy things.
 

What are we doing to make the world a better place:

1. "pay it forward"

2. freshly baked pumpkin bread delivered to neighbors.

3. saying a kind word to someone else.

4. I would say a smile, but with masks that has become harder to do, but a nod or a wave works too.

5. letting someone cut in line in heavy traffic

6. wearing a mask to protect others

7. getting vaccinated to cut the rate of world wide COVID

8. giving hugs

9. please and thank you said

10.saying I love you and meaning it 

11. sharing pictures of joy and nature on social media

 

Most Sunday's you will find my "live-in gardener" and I across the Columbia River attending church. After church it is our tradition to stop and have lunch at the local burger place. With the pandemic we have been driving through and then taking our lunch to a nearby park. We eat at a picnic table on nice days and on cold days we eat in the car. Last Sunday the car in front of us in line at the burger place bought our lunch.Wow! It made our day. This has happened a couple times at Starbucks, but never at a burger place.

And then we decided to venture out to Bishop Close. It is an Episcopal center on a bluff overlooking the Willamette River in Portland. The gardens are spectacular to walk in each season. I try to visit two or three times a year just to see the season before my eyes. There were tons of hellebore, but this cluster of blue flowers just said "take my picture too" and so I did. Even locals have heard of these gardens, but for some reason haven't visited. It is tucked into a private neighborhood with no signs; so if you don't know where it is you might miss it. It is like a secret garden that some people visit, but I have never seen it with many there. In the first picture above the bench is wisteria and  I usually forget to come when it is in bloom. I must remember to visit again soon.

Stairways and paths always entice my imagination. Where do the trails take us and what will we see? Will there be fairies hidden there? For me it is sharing nature with another brings JOY.

What would you add to the list of ways to make the world a better place? What happy thing has happened this week for you?


3 comments:

Jeanie said...

This garden is absolutely lovely. I can see why you like to visit and see it through the seasons.

You know my happy -- hearing from my friend Diane after months in a ventilalor coma with Covid. Lots of other, but that was the best (and finding out my tax refund will be lots more than I thought.)

I love your pay it forward story. I've both done it and had it happen to me and both are equally special. I say hello to strangers. Bring in peoples' carts from the market if they were ready to leave but walking it in -- and I'm already going there. Sending an unexpected card. (And you can smile with your eyes, too!)

mamasmercantile said...

Such an uplifting post. I would add saw this and thought of you mail...

Laura Morrigan said...

I loved the list! It warmed my heart! The blue flowers were lovely!