One Good Turn Deserves Another

Ripple Effect: photo by Tamra Tungate

How many of our actions can actually effect someone else? That has been a question that I have been mulling over for weeks now. I think it is safe to say that we can effect others for good or bad. I want to talk about positive effects this time and maybe touch on negative effects in another post.

The thing that always comes to my mind when I think about this is the Ripple Effect. In the picture above, a bubble comes to the the surface and pops, causing a disturbance of the water around it. Layer upon layer of concentric circles move in an outward pattern from where the bubble surfaced. Also, notice that nearby, there are two more bubbles that are doing the same thing and having the same effect. And the circles from one bubble are running into the circles of another bubble and effecting their pattern.

I believe that we have have a similar effect on those around us. One good turn deserves another. We can effect someone else today with a simple smile, a phone call, a wave, a nod of the head. How often do each of us simply want to be acknowledged and appreciated? Personally, as a stay-at-home mom, I feel those things are sometimes hard to come by. Life gets busy for everyone. We tend to live in our own little "bubble" and forget what is happening around us.

So take a few moments every day to tell someone you love that you care about them and everything they do for you. Do something kind for your neighbor to thank them for being a great friend. Brighten the day of someone you may not know as well but admire from afar by sending them a note. You never know the effect that it will have and how many others may feel the effect of the ripple that you start with one small act of kindness. Couldn't we all benefit from such a thing?

The Technicolor Yawn

feeding (Large)
Originally uploaded by Keith Park

I heard this phrase for the first time this week and laughed at it. What an awesome description of something that I absolutely loathe! Especially for those of us with children.

So last night, I had a migraine to beat all migraines. You know, the kind where you want to sit in the dark, move as little as possible, and try not to cry because that just makes it worse. I also felt like puking my guts out and I probably would have felt better if I had. But I always do everything in my power to avoid such nastiness. I can sit for hours and swallow my spit every two or three seconds just to keep in down. I know that this seems like a lot of work but that is how much I hate to throw up.

So to amuse myself, I let my mind wonder. And amid my random musings I began to think about the kinds of food that taste ok coming back up. I think the top on my list are chocolate milk and Cheerios. So then I started to think about eating Cheerios with chocolate milk poured on them. Hmm....I wonder if that is even better? But thinking about eating and food made my stomach cramp even more and I had to switch to something else.

Which led me to think about birds and those poor mothers who will eat and then regurgitate their food to feed their babies. I think I read once that they do this because it is easier for the babies to digest the food once it has already been partially digested. Wow! Isn't it amazing what mothers will do for their children? I can't imagine this process being pleasant for those mother birds but then again, what do I know about being a bird?

So here's to all of you crazy and wonderful mothers out there who sacrifice and do sometimes absurd and nasty things simply to benefit your children. Where would we all be today without you?

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

I am excited for several reasons today. We have had family living with us for a few months now and they have found a house and are moving into it this weekend. I am excited for them and this new beginning that they are embarking upon. And I am excited to get back to a form of normalcy around here. I don't mean that in an offensive way at all. In many aspects, it has been great to have them around and get to know them better. But I think that both of our families would agree that it wasn't always the easiest thing.

I have also pondered the dynamics of families quite a bit because of several family adventures this summer. I have a good friend who said that families are not meant to live together. I find that an interesting statement. One, because I am LDS and believe that families are very important and two, because it is a reality that living together as a family can be rather difficult. But I think in this case, we have come to realize that our families are in different stages in life and we really just go about life in very different ways.

Because of recent events within my own extended family, I have come to realize something. That even siblings who have grown up together will at some point take different paths and learn and grow at different rates. They will end up seeing the world in vastly different ways despite a similar upbringing. So in reality, we are each our own person. A truly unique individual.
So then the challenge for family members is to find new ways to try to connect with each other. And this is something that will change as time goes on, because we will each continue to change. Who knew how difficult relationships would be? Especially those within our own families. But then again, the hardest things in life are the ones most worth doing. So keep looking for that light at the end of the tunnel.

What You See is What You Get

I have found myself saying these very words over and over again to describe myself. But why is that? Is it just an excuse to behave badly when I feel so inclined? Is it simply out of sheer laziness? Or does it go much deeper than that?

I find it disconcerting to be around people who are "fake", which is a term I use loosely. For example, someone who bottles everything up inside but always has a smile on their face, to me, is a ticking time bomb. Or the person who can tell a bald-faced lie, but on the surface ooze charm and wit, in my estimation, is a master of manipulation. However, I believe that there is a delicate balance when it comes to emotions. I will admit that I am one who "wears my heart on my sleeve". I also find it very difficult to understand people who do not do this. But then again, the individual who cannot seem to keep themselves in check when it is deemed socially necessary, can dig themselves into a hole that is hard to climb out of.

So, where is the middle ground? Who is to say what the middle ground is? Clearly everyone has to decide for themselves. But in the end, do I really believe that what you see is what you get? Absolutely not. It never is. There is a lifetime of experiences that need to be referenced in order to truly understand what you see. And who has time for that?