I don’t often watch the local or national news. Not because I’m too busy, or because I’d rather live with my head buried in the sand, but because I think we tend to reflect what we ingest. And, because I believe in each moment we have a choice about whether to come from a place of love or a place of fear, watching the news is in direct opposition to the way I want to engage with life.
Choosing love over fear also plays out in our everyday interactions with family members. For instance, there are several kids under our roof and I may check their grades online once every few weeks. Or, I may not. Of course I want them to do their best in school, but the grades they receive aren’t as important as their ability to make and be a friend, or their excitement for the process of learning itself.
Deciding to come from a place of love over fear affects any number of daily interactions, even with people we’ve never met. Like when you’re in the middle of heavy traffic on 2499 and someone cuts in front of you. There are lots of ways to respond, but the most compassionate is to simply “let it go.” A different reaction, one from anger or fear, might feel good in the moment, but ultimately sends out negativity in a world inundated with pessimism.
Each of us has a choice and a responsibility about the kind of energy we generate. I’d say ninety-eight percent of the time I can choose love. Let’s face it, there’s enough fear to go around the world ten times over. I want to be part of a growing group of people tired of the constant diet of negative influence the media, through television/print/radio, feeds us every single day.
Sometimes that means, especially when it comes to politics, I don’t have my finger on the pulse of what’s going on…but, that’s okay with me, I’d rather put my energy into demonstrating empathy and compassion for my fellow man, than finding a place to lay blame or to worry about what catastrophe might happen next. I prefer to focus, if you will, on the “good news story of the day,” as opposed to the twenty other terrible things that did, or may, happen.
When you decide to come from a place of love, rather than fear, you begin to see just how much good there actually is in the world, which increases your desire to be part of good works, instead of living in the shadow of fear.
To be a victor, instead of a victim.
There will always be random acts of violence; this is the nature of life. But when we come from a place of compassion, rather than a place of anger, we have a better chance of connecting the dots and behaving differently in the future.
Here’s to a year filled with love, compassion, and positive vibes!
Kimberly Muench is a Flower Mound mother of five and author of “My Mothers Footprints: A story of Faith, Calm, Courage, Patience and Grace.” To see more of her work or to contact her, visit www.realifemom.com.
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