A series of essays....
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| A WALK THROUGH NATURE IS A GREAT STRESS RELIEVER |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E Hughes
The abuse of and abysmal charade that the presidency of this once honorable nation has become has left many of her people stressed out and forthrightly yearning for peace, understanding, and blissful calm. Many of us have turned towards the basic idea of being joyfully grateful for the little things that make-up our days and nights in order to obtain that bit of solace we so desperately require.
Staying in my room and reading a book often brought me peace and quiet from three brothers I shared my life with while growing up. Being the only girl of four children taught me many survival tactics that I would never have required if I’d been blessed with a sister to share my feelings with. At least, this is what my adult self believes. Books became my good friends and took me away to distant places far beyond the male dominated world I lived in.
By the time I hit my early teen years, their world became a part of mine and I learned to throw a perfect spiral, hit a ball out of the back yard, and employ a graceful swan shot that often sank ‘rimless’ into the net. I was always angry that I could never handle a slam dunk, even at an early height of 5 feet 7 inches!
While scrolling social media a few days ago, I came across a meme that was so simplistic in nature it resembled an adult’s doodle; a child’s rendering of objects experienced in life and expressed in simple drawings in order to be shared with others. Even the wording employed a combination of upper and lower case letters, sometimes within the same word, suggesting a youthful approach to its wording and artwork.
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| “ALL BUT THE COFFEE.” |
The meme itself brought a soothing calmness to my soul. Reading the many comments of others who appreciated the gentle nudge of its message brought a certain zen-like mellowness to my day and encouraged the feeling of hope all of us so desperately need right now.
I am a firm believer in reading the comments offered by others on social media. We are able to understand so much more about a particular article, picture, blog post, or meme by the reaction of those who have actually taken the time to read them, share their feelings, or offer their ideas (good, bad, or indifferent) about them.
I am a firm believer in reading the comments offered by others on social media. We are able to understand so much more about a particular article, picture, blog post, or meme by the reaction of those who have actually taken the time to read them, share their feelings, or offer their ideas (good, bad, or indifferent) about them.
Here are a sampling of reactions to this meme: “Feeling of cat fur and hearing the purring....” “Smell of fresh cut grass.” “Love and so thankful for the little things!” “Looking into my dogs eyes and seeing love.” “Rainbows and tea brewing.” “Being able to walk with no pain!” “Being blessed and grateful for the people in my life.” “So Grateful for all these LITTLE THINGS. đŸ’•” “Not just the sound of rain, some actual rain would be good.” “Sleeping in and great coffee.” “All but the coffee!” “The sound of laughter.. Its very rare lately....”
Many people were grateful for everything on the list while others added to the original photo list with specific personal wishes, and others negated an item or two. This is why people fascinate me so much and keep the world spinning along on its axis. But, it was the final example and quote that I shared from the comment list that offered a sharp reality check more than anything else.
I began remembering all of the good hearted belly laughs shared throughout the years with family and good friends and how that wonderful tinkling sound of pure joy in compliance with unadulterated mirth would bring on self-induced hiccups, guffawing, and, in my case, uncontrollable snorting. (I truly apologize for this particular image, my friends.)
Laughter comes in many forms and instigated by a multitude of reasons. Whether it is expressed by chuckling, tittering, or giggling...it is the greatest and least expensive form of merriment we have as human beings while being able to openly express our happy, glorious selves! It was sad to know that people believe that hearing laughter ringing out is becoming a rare occurrence today. But then, even our smiles have become hidden behind triple filtered masks.
Our eyes are becoming more interesting and expressive these days. With our smiles tucked away in public, for now, the ‘windows to our souls’ are working overtime! The eyes become wide with happiness, crinkled with laughter, and brighter with the anticipation of greater things to come. We must fight hard and hope that others do, as well, but in a little over 60 days from now I am predicting more smiles, laughter, pure happiness, and even uncontrollable snorting are in store for those of us who have sat back and watched a joyful world begin to implode in on itself.
For now, we’ll take our list of ‘Little Things To Be Grateful For’ and add our own personal touches to it. We’ll be content and happy for all of these small wonders that evoke fond memories, peace and calm, spirituality, gratification, pleasure, and love within us. And, we’ll work hard to regain the sense of pride in our lives that stemmed from being grateful for a deep conversation with friends and a cleansing walk in the forest after a summer’s rain. It’s the little things that help make us who we are. It will always be the little things that see us into a brighter future!
Register to vote. Wear a mask in public. Be kind. Vote.
Copyright © 2020 by Jacqueline E Hughes
All rights reserved
