Thursday, September 20, 2012

Gentle Living

I enjoy "people-watching".  There are many opportunities to observe folks going through what are often the most routine situations.....the grocery store line, the shopping mall, the airport, a restaurant, the doctor's office.  My favorite is probably the airport.  Where are they going?  Is someone waiting anxiously to greet them?  Are they coming or going to a joyful reunion or is their heart  heavy as they travel to or from a painful experience?  My observations are often fun....parents playing with and enjoying their children, friends laughing together, large families sitting down for a meal together, folks fidgeting or trying to stay awake while waiting for their name to be called.  Sometimes, though, what I see and hear are  reminders of the harshness of this world.  Anger, inpatience, fear, negligence, tension, unkind words and actions. 

This quote from Mr. Dickens gives, in very few words, a recipe for a softer and more gentle way of going about life.  Good advice!

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts."
                        
                                                         ~ Charles Dickens ~

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