A few months ago I went for a walk.  Only a short one around the block.  I used to walk 5 or 6 k’s a day and it’s one of the things I miss.  Walking hurts but I hurt anyway so I may as well do something I like!  As I’m waddling round (I’m not the most graceful), I see a man coming towards me from the opposite direction.  A little younger than me and quite overweight.  I can see that walking hurts him too and he’s gritting his teeth to get through it.  As I passed I looked at him and with a big smile said ‘good morning’.  His whole face changed.  His face relaxed into a smile and he said ‘morning’ as we passed each other.  Now that little encounter didn’t even last a minute and I can’t tell you whether it was just a momentary effect or longer lasting for him but it reminded me loudly and clearly that being kind can impact others.  Even when you’re not feeling good yourself, it doesn’t take anymore energy to be kind to people and it may even lift your own spirits.  That’s why when I started the Housebound Business Community the first rule is that you must be kind.  Many housebound people are already white knuckling their way and dealing with negativity and meanness only makes those struggles harder.  Don’t make life harder for others.  There’s no benefit in it for anyone.  It reminds me of an old saying my dad likes to quote ‘if you’ve got nothing nice to say then say nothing’.  He also likes ‘you catch more flies with honey’ but that’s a story for another day.  I’m not saying that you have to meekly agree with everyone but you can disagree and still be civil.  And while we’re on the subject I hope you’re being civil with yourself.  Showing kindness to others to others is so important but showing it to yourself is mandatory.

Till next time,

Sarah-Jane

P.S. If you want to join me there’s lots of ways to connect,

Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/houseboundbusiness/

Website - https://www.sjsmith.com.au/

Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/sjsmithartist/

Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/housebound_business_community/

Art Products - https://society6.com/sjsmith