TALK

I know, it goes without saying that we should talk to each other, especially now when we spend so much of our time on social media. Talking, the old fashioned way, using speech, is good for us. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for texting and messaging on Facebook, Twitter and the like, but you can't beat a good chat over a cuppa, but that's not quite what I mean by TALK.


A little while ago, well more like a few months really, I was thinking about Random Acts of Kindness and how that looked, or rather how it should look. Then I thought to myself, you know what, Random Acts of Kindness are all very well, but wouldn't it be better if we just did kindness all the time, wouldn't that actually make a bigger difference? That's when I came up with this wee acronym to remind myself to be kind, TALK or ...

Thoughtfully
Act with
Love and
Kindness

Now, I'm not saying that I always manage to do this, I may be a Mum but I am not superhuman, I do get it wrong, and I'm not always kind or thoughtful, sometimes I am thoughtful, but then I fail to act on it. Sometimes, it's hard to get all those things in tune with one another. It takes patience, persistence and practise, so I'm going to keep working on it.

So how do we go about TALKing? Well, I believe it starts by looking around us. Our world seems very much to be in need of a some love and kindness. Fear and hatred of anyone different (or just a differing opinion) seem to prevail everywhere and the only way to change that is for us to take personal responsibility. Fear not, I am not about to run for local or national government, though if I did I would of course make chocolate free on prescription to all women of child bearing age.

Anyway, back to the point...It goes back to the message your parents always gave you as a child, 'Treat others as you want to be treated' and it starts with the little things. If we take time to stop and look, we will see where help is needed. Once we see a need, rather than running in, stop and think, 'what can I do?' Ask that person if they need help and, if so how you can help. That is pretty much all it is. It's not difficult, it should be second nature, but it's not.

I may have it all wrong, but it feels as though we have become little islands, caught up in our own worlds and not really noticing that people around us may need our help, our kindness, our time. Giving up our precious time is tough, but that half hour sitting with someone who is lonely will make a huge difference to them. Even those extra few seconds to hold a door open for someone, a simple gesture, but one that is thoughtful, kind and costs you nothing. Do you know what? Even a smile and a 'hello' as you pass someone in the street could make a difference.

If we really want to change our world and make it better we need to start by looking out for others in our communities, schools, workplaces, churches, clubs etc and we will begin to make a difference and create a real wave of change. Let's TALK more.