It’s funny what you can find at the bus stop on a cold day in November. Someone had written
‘Never Give up’ on the misty cold glass panel and drawn a smiley face next to it! It made an
impression on me, so I took a photo of it for posterity!
I wished I could shake that person’s hand or touch elbows to thank them for caring.
They may not have known the impact that those words could have made. I allowed my imagination to run riot. I imagined a busy mum taking the children to school, an elderly person, someone depressed or a child facing challenges reading it and taking some
solace or encouragement from it.
Words matter, words can hurt, words can help heal.
Something stirred in me that day and I’m grateful for it.
‘Never Give Up’ as you would expect is on one of our t-shirts – how could it not be! As a global community recent challenges have been reminiscent of war. War can bring out the best in people as communities come together to fight a common enemy.
Covid-19 has been that enemy which sought to divide us as we endured pain, loss and lock down but we saw and heard many stories about how people supported and helped one another.
Let’s build community and be intentional about encouraging each other and ourselves every day. A simple phone call or text to a family member or friend or if you’re able to why not ask your neighbour if they need shopping or invite them in for a cup of tea especially if they’re on their own.
How about saying thank you to the postman or good morning to person you always see on your way to work. Perhaps you do all that already? Then I applaud you.
Hey, what about your needs?
Can I suggest that you try JOT? – Just One Thing.
I try to do this daily and it was something I shared with colleagues during the pandemic, when we were working from home and living with uncertainty. I wanted to remind us of the importance of looking after our own mental health by developing good self-care habits.
Everyone had to share one thing they would be doing that day to take time out for themselves. It could be something as simple as going for a walk, watching a comedy (Rat Race always does it for me!) meditation, taking a relaxing bath etc. It doesn't have to cost much although a nice lunch or latest designer bag will!
Tell me, what is your JOT today?
Remember if we take time to cultivate the seed of encouragement and care in our communities and circle of influence the effect could be breathtakingly amazing! As an optimist this is not out of reach for me! I believe that when we say ‘Never Give Up’ we can become catalyst for positive change.
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