It's the Little Things

"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" was the name of a small group I belonged to in High School. We would meet once a week in the morning in my English Teacher's class room before school began. This rosy cheeked, radiant smiled, short woman I lovingly called my teacher now reminds me of a younger Mother Teresa as I remember her kindness, understanding and compassion she showed her students everyday, even if they did not return it. I never remember her raising her voice, and my class would have been the class to have given her reason to.

So, why am I going on about a teacher I had 15 years ago?

Because her kindness made an everlasting impression. Her subtle support through leading the small group of a few students that met before classes, her guidance, direction, encouragement, and simply put, her love through one of the toughest academic years was a guiding light for a shy sophomores survival.

Love and kindness. Two things that bring such joy and light into the world, and yet they seem to be two of the hardest things to give and receive in this life. But why? Why do we make it so hard to love others and to show kindness?

Stereotypes, jealousy, diversity, labels, fear of the different, all of these cause separation and not love and kindness. The human race has not yet grasped the fact that people are different, people have diversities, and that is OK! Just because someone may be different from you, does not mean that they are causing you harm or shame.

Imagine a world where people celebrated their differences, unique quarks and didn't concern themselves with labels and profiling because there is no point in it. Think about it. Profiling, labels, being wary of the different, where has that gotten us? No where good. We now live in a world where the main projected stimulus is fear: fear of police, of Blacks, of traveling, of being and living alone, fear of being robbed or invaded, fear of the future. The list goes on and on.

How do we stop it? How does the fear change and we become fearless?

One:

Realize that PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT.

It is inevitable. As long as there are humans walking this Earth, they will be different shapes, different sizes, have different beliefs, different opinions, and that IS OK!

It is OK to be different... as long as you DON'T FORCE your differences on others. This crosses the line of respect to your fellow human, your brother and sister. Believing that another persons beliefs should completely follow your own, goes against our basic rights to be unique, to be YOU!

Two:

SUPPORT one another.

It is one things to say you support and encourage uniqueness, but if your ACTIONS do not SHOW it, then you are not living it. Do not belittle someone to build yourself up because if they are beaten down, you cannot rise high on the shoulders of someone who is low. If you encourage and support others then their shoulders are higher to lift another person up.

That's it. Just TWO steps! How simple is that!?!

So do not sweat the small stuff in life, the things we cannot change because with all the toils and stresses modern life throws, simple acts of love, and kindness can change someones day and perhaps even their life.