“THE KINDNESS OF CHECKING ON PEOPLE”
“But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . kindness . . . .” (Galatians 5:22)
One really nice form of kindness is checking on people.
A good friend, who is also a faithful reader of these blog posts, had his wife send a text to my wife to ask if I was okay. I hadn’t done a blog for a couple of weeks, and he was worried about me.
The truth is that I am both alright and not alright. To some extent, my web silence has been because I’m enjoying the beautiful city of Tampa, Florida. Also, while it is a lovely city, it seems to take at least 30 minutes to get anywhere, so we’ve doing lots of driving. (The only exception is my twelve-step meeting which is only an eleven-minute bike ride away from where we are staying. Sweet!)
Also, I have been working on a scholarly paper, which I am presenting at a conference in a little less than a month. And then, there is going for long walks/runs with the dog. And, of course, when you stay in any place for more than a few days, there are dishes to do, and clothes to wash. Even in paradise, the trash needs taken out a couple of times a week.
But it was good for my friend to check on me. For one thing, it reminded me to get off my lazy butt—or rather, to get on my diligent butt—and write a blog. The laziness has an explanation, but no excuse. The explanation is, at least in part, that I am mourning the closing of the university where I taught as an adjunct for over eleven years. The truth is that I am also feeling rather sorry for myself. Mourning is okay; self-pity, not so much.
Sometimes, though, a friend just checking on you helps to blow up your excuses and your laziness and your writer’s block. Kindness is quiet dynamite.
My challenge today is two-fold: to be grateful for the quiet dynamite that others place under me, and to place some kindness under others. Maybe this blog post will do that for you. You have to light the match, though!
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