Be A New Year’s Blessing

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It’s that time of year again when a lot of you are thinking about making New Year’s resolutions and hoping heart_2that you can construct a better year than the one you left behind, but what about being a New Year’s blessing to others?

Being a blessing to other people is guaranteed to give you  more wonderful feelings than any  self directed resolutions such as losing weight or going to the gym, etc.

I am not much for making these type of resolutions anyway, because most of the time they just end up haunting you with guilt for not doing them in the first place.

Self care and self love are certainly important, but should be continuously woven into your own life throughout the year, not all of a sudden launched full throttle in January and forgotten by March.

What really matters in life is not how physically perfected you are, but how you make other people feel about themselves.  

So instead of being only focused on polishing up your physical self and image , why not try to be more committed to doing something for others.

The rewards will be greater immediately and certainly in the long run as well.  It doesn’t have to be earth shattering nor costly either.  Sure, you can decide to carry around more change to drop in a homeless person’s cup or be more generous with your charities.

Au contraire, actually it is the little things you can do to put a smile on someone’s face and bring a little unexpected pleasure and joy.  Blessings come in many forms, and can be delivered in many ways, some hidden in prayer.

Generosity begins in the heart, which is all well and good, but it needs to be acted upon to have an impact.  I know I am certainly guilty for example, of putting aside calling someone for various sundry  reasons, and then often not following through.

With family and friends who live afar, especially those living alone, you might choose to be more committed to contacting them via calls, emails, or texts, even though you may share and comment on their Facebook posts.

Facebook has its merits and makes it super easy to wish someone happy birthday, but with close friends it should not be enough.  Besides, there are always the rest of the story behind those posts, that most of us would love to hear as well.

You might strive to be more complimentary with your spouse, friends and children.  What about a sincere compliment to a colleague at work, and yes even to your boss!

Hugs go a long way and are a terrific extension of yourself to show somebody else you care about them.  Out of the blue declarations of affection, such as I love you; catching a loved one or dear friend off guard, will make memories forever.

So many times I have heard patients say they don’t verbalize such simple words of affection, preferring to believe instead that family  “know I love them”.   Depriving a love one of those spoken words is downright selfish and hurtful.

Again, I know we all have our daily routines and obligations that can easily submerge us, or distract us so that we might forget to think of others.  If you have time on your hands, you might want to consider volunteering for a good cause in your community.

Living in a big city like Paris, where you are constantly running into the populace as soon as you step out your door is a daily reminder that you and I are just but a grain of sand in the vast pool of humanity.

That constant engulfment can be an annoyance at times, but sometimes can be an opportunity to reflect upon and connect with what we all share with each other; precisely our humanness.

At any given time, day or night, there are millions of others with your same needs, your same longings, your same pain, your same worries and concerns about themselves, their children and families.

There is nothing like being confined to a finite space of a bus, or metro car to take the time to observe the faces of others and wonder about their lives, who like myself, can often be lost in their own clouds.

These rather very ordinary times can be for me a special time to offer my  heart to heart “blessings”.  It is a powerful way to connect with strangers that you will probably never see again but want to share whatever positive thoughts you have.

It is as easy as pie, and requires no expenditures of energy, just some conscious thought and sincere empathy for them all, caught in this vortex of life.  I generally start with the people seating or standing next to me and work around the crowd one by one.

Eye contact is not at all necessary, as that might make some very uncomfortable, except babies, who love to gaze back at you.  You can simply stare in their direction, catching a part of their clothing.  I visualize their hearts and send each one of them a blessing.

Most of the time, I say with silent words:  “I send you love”.  If I feel for whatever reason there is something else they are in need of, I will include that too.

You don’t have to take public transport either to spread your heart blessings amongst others. You can do in at office meetings, at church, or even driving around, where you will have ample opportunity to spot folks and bless them in the same way.

Doing this, something magically happens to me; as if for a very short time, we are no longer strangers, nor separated, but one in our humanness.  In truth we are, however individually different our bodies and emotional makeup may be.

Sometimes depression, grief, anxiety and worries can overwhelm us to the point we retreat into ourselves and have little energy for outreaching others.  That is ok and understandable, so please know that I  am not trying to lay a guilt trip on you if are currently hurting.

However, I have found at these times when I was caught up in my own suffering as I am with my  grief, that realizing you are not the only person on planet earth with the same pain can be beneficial.

With that realization, you can actually bring some good feelings to yourself by praying for all the other people, who are hurting or grieving like you.  In that way, you do not tax your energy at all, but are being generous with your prayers and thoughts for others suffering like you.

In the end of things, remember there won’t be any applause or pundits for polishing up a sleek image, by shedding those few extra pounds that hardly anybody is going to notice.  What really matters is what you give or do for others that helps them feel a bit more love and joy!

Be a New Year’s Blessing!

Hugs, Blessings and Love to all.

 

Updated post, Jan 2, 2018

7 thoughts on “Be A New Year’s Blessing”

  1. CHERRY , thanks for the wonderful New Year’s Resolution Idea. As it fits in so well with my job. It is very rewarding to me to treat customers as I would like to be treated and then see the expression on ther faces that someone would like to help them. And go that extra step in resolving ther problem even in other departments or Google up ther answer.

    Doing this, something magical does happen to me ,a very good Feeling. especially when they come back looking for me to help them again even though I don’t even know their name.

    what a wonderful world this would be if everyone would adopted this idea.

    CHERRY I WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY YEAR !!!!

    Hugs to you

    1. Isham, you are a special and wonderful man, who has always gone the extra mile to help someone. Plus you have that winning smile and enthusiastic personality! Happy New Year and hugs

  2. Happy New Year Cherry! Thanks for your thoughts about New Year and Paris. I was attracted to your blog about the story of the real life Cinderella! I am 67 and I am starting to understand the meaning of Christmas. I spent 5 days in Paris in 93. Felt at home there like nowhere else. I hope to return to Paris, hope to stay at a convent near one of the big churches. I would like to see Chartres again. God Bless! Glenn

    1. Thank you Glenn for your kind comment and welcome to my blog! How wonderful for you to experience the real meaning of Christmas and I hope you will continue to grow on your spiritual path.
      There are many beautiful monasteries to stay in throughout France. I have stayed in a few and the whole experience is wonderful, including the food and wine!
      In Paris, you can stay in the hotellerie near Sacré Coeur, amongst other places. I have always used Le Guide Saint Christophe to find places. They are also online guidestchristophe.com, which is French but with the map, one can navigate around the site to see photos of monasteries or hotelleries for non Francophones.
      If I can be of any help, let me know. New Years Blessings to you.

  3. How right you are that providing kindness is rewarding to the giver too. People I have met on mission trips and nursing homes lifted my spirit so greatly that I could only pray thai I had been as inspiring to them as they were to me. How do we get over the guilt trip when comparing how good we have it compared to widows or orphans, especially those in impoverished areas? Your answer seems to be “just keep spreading joy wherever we are, all need it”.

    1. Thank you James for sharing your own special feelings of spiritual lifting whenever we offer others kindness, or just being there to listen to them. I know that you have that special gift of helping others in need.
      Witnessing the misery of others tugs on our heartstrings, and yes we wonder why we have been spared. Help when we can and at least pray for those we can’t. I hope that the Spirit calls us towards those in need, whose hurt may be hidden out of their pride. Hugs

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