It’s Easy to Get Wrapped Up in Our Own Stuff
Work.
Holidays.
Family.
Health.
Money.
Relationships.
The dog throwing up on the carpet five minutes before you need to leave the house.
And when life gets really hard, our world can become very small, very quickly.
This is understandable.
Sometimes taking care of us has to be the priority.
Sometimes saying no, staying home, resting, or protecting our own physical and emotional health isn’t selfish—it’s necessary.
But even in the middle of our own mess, it’s worth remembering:
We aren’t the only ones going through something.
Everybody Has Something
Lately, I’ve been reminded people I love are facing their own difficult health challenges.
Different circumstances.
Different fears.
Different journeys.
And sometimes you desperately want to help but simply can’t in the way you wish you could.
That can bring guilt.
We convince ourselves caring means physically showing up, fixing the problem, saying exactly the right thing or somehow making everything better.
But maybe caring doesn’t have to be complicated.
Sometimes we can’t change someone’s circumstances. But we can make their day a little less difficult, a little less scary, or a little less lonely.
Kindness Doesn’t Require the Backstory
Here’s the other thing.
We don’t have to know what someone is going through to be kind to them.
Recently, I was at the hospital and told the receptionist she was beautiful.
Because she is.
Her entire face lit up like Clark Griswold’s house at Christmas.
And I thought...
Why don’t we do that more often?
I knew absolutely nothing about her day.
Maybe she was having a wonderful one.
Maybe she’d cried in her car that morning.
Maybe she was worried about someone she loved.
Maybe she was simply tired.
I didn’t need to know.
For a few seconds, two people connected over something kind.
This honesty was enough.
Support Has a Thousand Faces
We tend to think helping needs to be something big.
It doesn’t.
Support can be a meal.
A phone call.
Flowers.
A text that says, “Thinking about you.”
Holding a door.
Letting someone go ahead of you in line.
Sending a ridiculous meme.
Actually, listening when someone talks instead of waiting for your turn to speak.
Or telling a stranger she looks beautiful and watching her turn into a human Christmas display.
None of those things solve cancer, grief, fear, loneliness or whatever else someone may be carrying.
But they can soften the edges.
And sometimes that’s exactly what a person needs.
You Can Be Kind Without Losing Yourself
There’s a balance here.
Sometimes life requires us to be a little selfish.
We have to protect our health, our energy and our boundaries.
We cannot possibly show up for everyone, ...
Every time, in every way.
And feeling guilty serves absolutely no one.
Maybe the goal isn’t to carry someone else’s burden. Maybe it’s simply to help them carry it for a minute.
We can do this without abandoning ourselves.
🍰 Today’s Blessing Cake
What did I learn?
Everyone is carrying something—even when we can’t see it.
We may never know the story behind the person checking us in at the hospital, standing ahead of us at the grocery store, answering the phone, serving our coffee or sitting quietly beside us.
So be kind anyway.
Say the nice thing.
Send the text.
Make the call.
Give the compliment.
Offer some grace.
You may never know what it means to a
Friend ...
Family ...
Colleague ...
Or Stanger.
And really, you don’t need to.
Sometimes making someone’s world a little brighter for thirty seconds is blessing enough.
And if they light up like Clark Griswold’s house?
Even better.
Keep looking for your Blessing Cake.
Why not?
In the Spirit of Health & Wellness
— Elizabeth
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