BlackCashmere
Kindness begets Kindness
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2008
- Posts
- 34,214
HumanKind.. Be Both
- Thread starter GiggLeGasm
- Start date
Mrtenant
Lord of Chaos
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2009
- Posts
- 28,175
Remember if you can, your lovers as friends, friends before lovers, treat your friends well. In disagreements and arguements, high opinions, and curfuffels, remember the person in front of you is your friend. Save your friendships if you can. Sometimes thats all we got.
GiggLeGasm
June Cleaver Wannabe
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2011
- Posts
- 22,802
I went on vacation last month and couldn't help but notice how commercialized "kindness" has become. You see it on little office decor.. and as wall stickies.. and there are suddenly 1000 memes about being nice.
But where is it?
Surely it can't be something you purchase for $6.95 and place in a paper bag.
I hope it's more than a bumper sticker.
So that's been on my mind.. and this past week, I attended a leadership seminar. It was about the relationship between kindness, gratitude, and resilience. The three seem to be the remedy for happiness.. whole living.. surviving stress.
We know that people with a terminal illness often find a sense of peace in that space where gratitude lives. They seem to reach out to people in their past for reconciliation and a rebuilding of kindness. Just this past week, my friend of 35 years who is battling lymphoma reached out to tell me that she doesn't think she has enough time to tell people that she's sorry for not being nicer. Imagine your greatest trauma actually being that you weren't nice to people.
That's an easy fix.. isn't it? Be nicer?
I think it is.
Appreciate life and those who walk it with you.
Forgive yourself.
Be kind.
<3
But where is it?
Surely it can't be something you purchase for $6.95 and place in a paper bag.
I hope it's more than a bumper sticker.
So that's been on my mind.. and this past week, I attended a leadership seminar. It was about the relationship between kindness, gratitude, and resilience. The three seem to be the remedy for happiness.. whole living.. surviving stress.
We know that people with a terminal illness often find a sense of peace in that space where gratitude lives. They seem to reach out to people in their past for reconciliation and a rebuilding of kindness. Just this past week, my friend of 35 years who is battling lymphoma reached out to tell me that she doesn't think she has enough time to tell people that she's sorry for not being nicer. Imagine your greatest trauma actually being that you weren't nice to people.
That's an easy fix.. isn't it? Be nicer?
I think it is.
Appreciate life and those who walk it with you.
Forgive yourself.
Be kind.
<3
BlackCaramelCreme
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2016
- Posts
- 42,468
Yesterday, I cooked a rum cake. I gave it to my mom's home care nurse to take to a meeting she has every Thursday with her co-workers.
It's Valentine's Day today. Social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists and nurses under this one company do so much to give their best to others, well...at least the ones I've had the pleasure of meeting with. I saw so much genuine care and concern for my mom from some of the most beautifully spirited people, that I wanted to share a piece of my best with them. It is because of what I learned from them in addition to what I was already doing, my mom's health is improving. I was/am ever so grateful for their help and assistance.
I found out in my conversations with them, majority of the time, they very rarely take the time needed to care for themselves. Their spare time is used in traveling to get to their next patient's home in the next district, town, city or even county. Very rarely do they eat healthy meals, yet they are tasked with the responsibility of teaching, assisting and addressing the needs of those they come in contact with and making sure THAT PATIENT is healthy in the time allotted for them.
This came to a head one day when my mom's nurse finally arrived and was visibly shaken. She arrived 3-4 hours late due to an "episode" happening earlier. Apologizing for her lateness first, she began checking mom's levels before her time with us was up. She was visibly shaken 30 minutes into her visit still. After inquiring and being informed of the tragedy, she was headed to the hospital to check on the injured, her dad (who lives with her), when she leaves. She hadn't eaten. I prepared a plate of food for her (eaten right then)and a bag of lunch to take with her (the cafeteria usually closes earlier). I'm glad I did. He wasn't released until early the next morning.
Health care professionals do so much for us all. Remember to take the time to thank them for all they do. Some currently help me care for my mom's heart. I gave them something I do well from my own.
It's Valentine's Day today. Social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists and nurses under this one company do so much to give their best to others, well...at least the ones I've had the pleasure of meeting with. I saw so much genuine care and concern for my mom from some of the most beautifully spirited people, that I wanted to share a piece of my best with them. It is because of what I learned from them in addition to what I was already doing, my mom's health is improving. I was/am ever so grateful for their help and assistance.
I found out in my conversations with them, majority of the time, they very rarely take the time needed to care for themselves. Their spare time is used in traveling to get to their next patient's home in the next district, town, city or even county. Very rarely do they eat healthy meals, yet they are tasked with the responsibility of teaching, assisting and addressing the needs of those they come in contact with and making sure THAT PATIENT is healthy in the time allotted for them.
This came to a head one day when my mom's nurse finally arrived and was visibly shaken. She arrived 3-4 hours late due to an "episode" happening earlier. Apologizing for her lateness first, she began checking mom's levels before her time with us was up. She was visibly shaken 30 minutes into her visit still. After inquiring and being informed of the tragedy, she was headed to the hospital to check on the injured, her dad (who lives with her), when she leaves. She hadn't eaten. I prepared a plate of food for her (eaten right then)and a bag of lunch to take with her (the cafeteria usually closes earlier). I'm glad I did. He wasn't released until early the next morning.
Health care professionals do so much for us all. Remember to take the time to thank them for all they do. Some currently help me care for my mom's heart. I gave them something I do well from my own.
Last edited:
GiggLeGasm
June Cleaver Wannabe
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2011
- Posts
- 22,802
This really resonates with me. Having spent many many hours on inpatient nursing units, I know that sometimes you literally give all you have until you're finally home and able to collapse. There were times when we would take food into the nurses who were leaving so they could eat before they went home.
There is something about preparing food for someone that resonates in a way that reminds me of deep spiritual things.. like ancestry or shared battlegrounds.
If you think about it, the whole home used to be centered around the hearth. We cooked. We bathed. We slept. It was that hearthstone that protected us and allowed us to nurture one another.
Thank you for sharing this moment. It's allowed me to spend some time remembering the importance of keeping each other going while we do our life's work.. whatever that work may be.
cascadiabound
MrTs barmaid
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2015
- Posts
- 28,393
This story made me cry...gives me some hope today. 
***************
About an hour ago, I was in Walmart looking for my conditioner because today is wash day for my hair. As I’m looking for my product, this older white lady approaches me and she says, “Excuse me, miss. Please don’t be offended by this.” And usually when white people tell me not to be offended, 9 times out of 10, whatever they are about to say is going to be offensive af.
Anyway, she follows it up with, “My husband and I just recently won our custody battle with our foster daughter and she means the world to us. She’s a beautiful African American girl and her hair looks a lot like yours. But I’m afraid because I don’t know what to do with her hair. It’s a lot different from mines and our other children and we are at a total loss. I’ve tried looking up the YouTube videos and my husband went to the braiding shops so they can teach him how to properly braid her hair, but he’s still pretty new and it will be a while before he gets used to it. Do you have any tips you can give me? If you don’t have the time, it’s okay, really! I just needed a little advice because I want her to look beautiful.”
Y’all. swear I almost started crying on aisle 6. So for the last 30 minutes, I spent my time talking to her and what products to use and how to properly detangle and comb her hair with the proper tools and what not to do with natural hair. And I showed her a bunch of easier to follow natural hair tutorials on YouTube and saved them for her. (I also had to create a YouTube account for her so she could save it for later.) but omfg, she was so sweet, and I could tell that she listened to every single thing I had to say and she took little notes on her little notepad.
And what really filled my heart was the fact that her husband actually taking classes from African braiding shops. And she showed me a picture of him wearing a little sweater vest and loafers in a little shop surrounded by beautiful black women showing him how to braid black hair and even the lady he’s braiding on is guiding his hands. And omfg. Bless these old white people and their black daughter who I know have new loving parents because they are willing to step out of their comfort zone just to make her feel and look beautiful.
I really hope our paths cross again one day, Mrs Cicilia.
***************
About an hour ago, I was in Walmart looking for my conditioner because today is wash day for my hair. As I’m looking for my product, this older white lady approaches me and she says, “Excuse me, miss. Please don’t be offended by this.” And usually when white people tell me not to be offended, 9 times out of 10, whatever they are about to say is going to be offensive af.
Anyway, she follows it up with, “My husband and I just recently won our custody battle with our foster daughter and she means the world to us. She’s a beautiful African American girl and her hair looks a lot like yours. But I’m afraid because I don’t know what to do with her hair. It’s a lot different from mines and our other children and we are at a total loss. I’ve tried looking up the YouTube videos and my husband went to the braiding shops so they can teach him how to properly braid her hair, but he’s still pretty new and it will be a while before he gets used to it. Do you have any tips you can give me? If you don’t have the time, it’s okay, really! I just needed a little advice because I want her to look beautiful.”
Y’all. swear I almost started crying on aisle 6. So for the last 30 minutes, I spent my time talking to her and what products to use and how to properly detangle and comb her hair with the proper tools and what not to do with natural hair. And I showed her a bunch of easier to follow natural hair tutorials on YouTube and saved them for her. (I also had to create a YouTube account for her so she could save it for later.) but omfg, she was so sweet, and I could tell that she listened to every single thing I had to say and she took little notes on her little notepad.
And what really filled my heart was the fact that her husband actually taking classes from African braiding shops. And she showed me a picture of him wearing a little sweater vest and loafers in a little shop surrounded by beautiful black women showing him how to braid black hair and even the lady he’s braiding on is guiding his hands. And omfg. Bless these old white people and their black daughter who I know have new loving parents because they are willing to step out of their comfort zone just to make her feel and look beautiful.
I really hope our paths cross again one day, Mrs Cicilia.
GiggLeGasm
June Cleaver Wannabe
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2011
- Posts
- 22,802
Hi.
I started a project at the hospital that I wanted to share in case anyone else wants to find something similar in another community. Near our location, there is a group home for women who are either pregnant or have had a baby in the past 9 months. To live in the home, they commit to 20 hours every week of either work or school.. and they take classes geared toward independent living (especially with a child). Many of them don't have families who can help.. or who would provide the right kind of help.
Anyway - I was thinking about the courage it must take to entirely change your life.. the uneasiness that might come if you knew that the only help you might get would come from total strangers..
How hard that must be.. what a brave thing to do
So at my place, we're making easter baskets..
and we took the "urgent needs" and "ongoing needs" lists from the website that the home makes available so that we could make sure that all of their needs are met.. even if it's just for a short while. I think it's important to acknowledge people graciously and I'm inspired by these women who are willing to trust.
Maybe it's something you'd want to do in celebration of your community.
I started a project at the hospital that I wanted to share in case anyone else wants to find something similar in another community. Near our location, there is a group home for women who are either pregnant or have had a baby in the past 9 months. To live in the home, they commit to 20 hours every week of either work or school.. and they take classes geared toward independent living (especially with a child). Many of them don't have families who can help.. or who would provide the right kind of help.
Anyway - I was thinking about the courage it must take to entirely change your life.. the uneasiness that might come if you knew that the only help you might get would come from total strangers..
How hard that must be.. what a brave thing to do
So at my place, we're making easter baskets..
and we took the "urgent needs" and "ongoing needs" lists from the website that the home makes available so that we could make sure that all of their needs are met.. even if it's just for a short while. I think it's important to acknowledge people graciously and I'm inspired by these women who are willing to trust.
Maybe it's something you'd want to do in celebration of your community.
Sh75
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- May 19, 2019
- Posts
- 6,541
GiggLeGasm
June Cleaver Wannabe
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2011
- Posts
- 22,802
It's late
late for me. I'm one of those 10pm bed people
(earlier if I'm not alone.. but.. anyway.. )
it's late
and I can't sleep because of all the things I have running through my head
who might need me tomorrow
where can I make a difference
It's EVS workers week. Did you know that?
The whole world knows when it's Nurse's Week. We get more free stuff than most of us can collect.
EVS is the environmental services group.
They visit with you while they're cleaning
and help you to trust us as we're rushing about.
They listen to your concerns about your kids.. and your dogs..
the bills you're not sure you'll get to on time..
At my hospital, we do leadership rounding and ten times out of ten, the patient can tell me the name of the person who cleaned the room.
The number isn't that high for any other service line in the hospital.
If you know an EVS employee, please remember to say thank you this week.
And if you don't have a reason when they ask
You can just tell them
It was late
And you got to thinking..
late for me. I'm one of those 10pm bed people
(earlier if I'm not alone.. but.. anyway.. )
it's late
and I can't sleep because of all the things I have running through my head
who might need me tomorrow
where can I make a difference
It's EVS workers week. Did you know that?
The whole world knows when it's Nurse's Week. We get more free stuff than most of us can collect.
EVS is the environmental services group.
They visit with you while they're cleaning
and help you to trust us as we're rushing about.
They listen to your concerns about your kids.. and your dogs..
the bills you're not sure you'll get to on time..
At my hospital, we do leadership rounding and ten times out of ten, the patient can tell me the name of the person who cleaned the room.
The number isn't that high for any other service line in the hospital.
If you know an EVS employee, please remember to say thank you this week.
And if you don't have a reason when they ask
You can just tell them
It was late
And you got to thinking..
Similar threads
