I was walking my dog the other day, and saw in big bold letters on this dudes sweatshirt “SPEAK NO EVIL.” I complimented him on it, and told him I wish more people fully understood and practiced that concept. He and the lady he was with smiled, nodded and agreed and we all went on with our day after chatting for a bit.
Ever since that encounter, I have been meditating on that idea. The words that we speak have such power in them. We can use them to build someone up or tear them down.
For most of my childhood I was relentlessly picked on because the size of my head. Of course I didn’t choose to be born with a weird brain condition. I remember being hesitant to wear my hair up, even though it came back thicker and thicker when my head was shaved after each of the 4 brain surgeries I had as a baby, and the weather was so hot sometimes where I grew up. But I knew my head size was more noticeable with it up, so I sweated accordingly. Kids can be mean if you are different, but it taught me a lesson I carried into adulthood. To be ridiculously nice to others, and to be a barracuda to those that were not kind to me and to protect my person always.
Implementation of that practice has made me realize as an adult that it takes way more effort to be kind to someone than to be nasty to them. For that I am thankful to all those kids who picked on the weird girl with the big head. I wear my hair up every single day now and don’t give a hoot.
I’m hopeful that those who read my post will pay a compliment to a complete stranger you encounter, and remember that they’re just like you-the child of a Father in Heaven who loves us all the best, and may need to be lifted up today in some small way. 🙂