Thought For The Day

Today’s quotes surround the kindness of strangers, something this world needs a more of right now in day-to-day life…

“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.” (Bob Kerrey)

“The unexpected kindness of strangers when you’re having a stressful day just makes everything a little easier.” (Lacey Chabert)

Every single day, no matter who you meet in the day – friends, family, work colleagues, strangers – give joy to them. Give a smile or a compliment or kind words or kind actions, but give joy! Do your best to make sure that every single person you meet has a better day because they saw you. -(Rhonda Byrne)

“I often find myself grateful for the comfort of strangers; a man who gave up his seat for me on the bus, a woman who helped me out with a heavy shopping bag. Remembering small acts of kindness puts the world in a finer, sweeter order.: (Sally Brampton)

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Grateful Heart Monday

Welcome to this week’s Grateful Heart Monday entry, which for today is for two people who’ve offered me kind words in my neighborhood for the ongoing efforts I’ve made to keep the streets and a number of yards clean, especially in light of some harsh criticism I received recently from another neighbor who took her own life’s anger out on me one morning.

As I’ve written about this a few times in my blog prior, I focus much of my angst in life over all my health issues and pains by maintaining a clean and manicured yard that includes both of my neighbors on either side of me. This summer, with nature having been quite strange where it’s been like fall throughout much of it, with many leaves dropping daily, leaving our street littered with debris on most days, I’ve included maintaining much of that as well. It’s become a ritual now of sots with me waking up each morning and going outside to clean it all up, going as far as 200 feet in either direction of my driveway, which is the length of the two electrical cords I use when connected together. I always feel better after completing this task and enjoy the look of a nicely swept street afterwards.

Recently, when a neighbor yelled at me over a pile of debris I had created across the street from her, most of which had emanated from trees around her property and curb, I really got upset, especially because I have kept her curb cleaned the entire summer. At that very moment, my ego almost got the best of me. I was about to give my daily task up over her negativity, but instead, chose to focus on the kindness of two neighborhood gentlemen who approached me separately recently, thanking me for my outdoor work.

The first came one day when I was deep in my work sweeping up a section of the street with a push broom about four houses away from my own. A car pulled up and inside was Scott who told me he really wished he could take some of the taxpayer’s money and send it to me for the great job I do for the city every day on our street. It meant the world to me to hear this at that moment and I felt totally energized afterwards, knowing that someone appreciated my work.

The second came as I was vacuuming up the leaves from a neighbor’s driveway one afternoon. David, the cousin of my neighbor across the street, walked over, put his hand out and shook my own, saying he wished he had a neighbor like me. He said my work never goes unnoticed by him and how much it’s a pleasure to come down our street and see how clean it is, as well as the yards around my home.

What Scott and David didn’t know was how much their words not only helped me to keep doing this task, but also to keep going in life, because lately it seems like there has been a vast shortage of kindness in this world, especially in my own life. I’ve seen so much negativity and criticism over the slightest of things, almost as if people are walking around like ticking time bombs, waiting for someone to lash out at.

That’s why I believe kind words go a long way, and Scott and David’s definitely did that for me. So, thank you Scott and David, for making my day on two separate occasions, for helping to temporarily overcome my own angst in life, especially when an angry neighbor yells at me for no reason. It’s because of both of your kindness, that I have found the energy to keep going for yet another day…

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Thought For The Day

After yesterday’s posting about what’s happened in Afghanistan and the war the U.S. had there, I decided to compile a list of my favorite quotes about war…

“War does not determine who is right – only who is left.” (Bertrand Russell)

“How can you have a war on terrorism when war itself is terrorism?” (Howard Zinn)

“No solider ever really survives a war.” (Audie Murphy)

“War grows out of desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man.” (Napoleon Hill)

“The world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)

“Religion isn’t the cause of wars, it’s the excuse.” (Jasper Fforde)

“The military don’t start wars. Politicians start wars.” (William C. Westmoreland)

“You don’t spread democracy with a barrel of a gun.” (Helen Thomas)

“War is merely the continuation of politics by other means.” (Carl von Clausewitz)

“There is only one way to win a war which has begun: To stop it immediately; that is the way!” (Mehmet Murat ildan)

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson