World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. This day, celebrated on November 13 of each year, has the purpose is to help everyone understand that compassion for others is what binds us all together. This understanding has the power to bridge the gap between nations.
“Victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance” Diwali celebration
These are challenging times as Covid-19 continues to harm our communities and families. To make things worse we are living in a time of misinformation and darkness. Many refuse to accept the truth. As the American election takes place it is my wish we move out of the darkness of lies and fear into a new beginning of hope, science, understanding and truth.
It is a hard when we have an American president that doesn’t see reality and truth. Somehow, and it will be hard, we must accept the results of the election with non-violence and hope for a better world. Every vote must be counted, our democracy depends on it, and then we must accept the results. Important November days to celebrate and look forward to with hope:
November 1, World Vegan Day
November 3, American Election Day
November 10, World Science Day for Peace and Development
November 11, Veterans Day
November 13, World Kindness Day
November 14 Diwali “Victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”.
November 15, America Recycles Day, make it a day to reuse and reduce
November 26, Day of gratitude, Thanksgiving Day
Below the Actions for Happiness people have a calendar for New November with many good suggestions to try something new:
If we do not take care of our planet, none of the other issues will matter. Climate matters are social justice, immigration, economic, health, clean water/air and basic survival issues. Local and state issues are just as important as the White House. Please vote and tread lightly.
Peace and Hope
Vibrant fall colors that take your breath away, unusual cloud formations and migrating birds bring joy on this big lake. Autumn beauty brings a break from this pandemic and the raw politics of this election season.
Our nesting birds have left for warmer climes, but migrating yellow-rumped warblers dive at our house chasing flies. Juvenile white- throated sparrows practice imperfect singing, and groups of juncos are abundant. The chickadees are emptying their feeder and chipmunks are underfoot as they busily prepare for a long winter.
A month after the monarchs had left for Mexico, I was surprised to find a caterpillar munching on an old yellow milkweed. I moved the lone caterpillar to a healthy milkweed, but there probably isn’t time enough time for it to form a chrysalis and a mature monarch butterfly. I can only hope it was able to complete it’s cycle, and catch a strong north wind to Mexico.
This year not all politics is forgotten. Campaign signs popped up on our road which I haven’t seen before, but the vast majority were hopeful signs of kindness for this northern Wisconsin community.
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Anne Frank
None of us knows the future, and at this moment in time it is hard not to be fearful about it. We can’t shake this awful pandemic, and we are in the middle of an important election. The next month is full of uncertainty. We have leaders scaring us about the future and telling us the” Mob” and violence are going to take over. Some elected officials share lies and conspiracy theories. They say they won’t follow the rules and leave office if they don’t win? With all this what is there to be afraid of?
I got several pieces of mail this week telling me the “Mob” is taking over if I don’t vote for certain candidates? Who is this mob? Does frightening people get you to vote for them? I hope not. I wonder if I am part of the “Mob” because I want equal rights, justice, clean air and water for everyone? Confusion and fear are the goals of these people. Our mental and physical health are both at stake with this silly rhetoric. Don’t listen to it!
We must do better than this. Choose instead to be hopeful and optimistic. Don’t feed this fear, instead feed optimism. Start each day with a positive action. See some ideas below. Also, everyday get outside and enjoy the beauty of October.
When you are optimistic you and look at your days with hope instead of fear. Optimism wins and helps you see beyond fear for a better future and a better world. The Actions for Happiness group has thirty-one suggestions and ideas to help us be optimistic. See their ideas below:
https://www.actionforhappiness.org/media/922208/october_2020.jpg
Wishing you an optimistic and outside October!
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that others will join you.” RBG
“If you want to be a true professional you will do something outside yourself. Something to repairs tears in our community. Something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think is a meaningful life is. Living not for yourself, but for ones community.” RBG
Rest in Power
The 2020 Peace Day Theme: Shaping Peace Together Celebrate the International Day of Peace by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stand together with the UN against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred.
Join me to spread PEACE together. Take 3 breaths everyday to inhale peace to yourself, and exhale peace to all. Together we can Love the world to Peace
Last night I had the strangest dream I’ve ever known before… I
dreamed that all the world agreed to put an end to war… I dreamed
I saw a mighty room… the room was filled with men… and the papers
they were signing said they’d never fight again. And when the papers
were all signed, and a million copies made, they all shook hands and
bowed their heads and greatful prayers were prayed… and the people
in the streets below were dancing round and round… while swords and
guns and uniforms lay scattered on the ground… Last night I had the
strangest dream I’ve ever known before… I dreamed that all the world
agreed to put an end to war…
Amazing numbers, we are all in this together!
By the numbers:
-30 million migrating birds flew over my house this weekend (Audubon)
-12 black women are playing in the US Open Tennis Tournament. Hopefully it will continue to increase.
-Phoenix has had a record run of 50 days of 110 degree temps in a row.
-Portland has had a record of over 100 days of protesting.
-A record 2.2 million acres have been burned in California with the two worst months to go. -A record high temp of 121 degrees was recorded in Los Angeles County
-Denver recorded 100 degrees, then 24 hours later, 30 degrees and snow.
-The United States has the most Corona Virus cases in the world, just ahead of India. -There have been a record number of hurricanes so far for this time of year. -Warnings from the UN that the Earth is hitting it’s temperature limit
This Actions for Happiness post is about self-care and telling the truth! Living in a pandemic we need self-care and we need truth.
Part of self-help September is telling the truth, but what do you do when you have elected officials that lie, lie and lie some more, and citizens that believe their lies? People that lie are unhappy, they can’t accept reality. These are strange times with a pandemic, and the need for correct information is enormous. When elected officials have a misunderstanding of the truth, and create alternative facts, and others don’t correct and challenge them we are in big trouble. If we don’t have a set of facts to agree on, people searching for truth make things up and spread theories about what they believe might be true. This is like ancient people trying to make sense of what they don’t understand. We need to have a base of facts to work from and we have lost that. Yes, I misled the U.S.
Democracies can not survive without understanding what is really happening. That is why we have universities, scientists, news media and newspapers to search out the truth. In order to function as citizens in our society and in our democracy, we need to have a common basis of facts.
This is not ancient times, we have science, we have a hard working journalists and educators that are masters at getting the facts correct. At this time in history we all need a active commitment to always tell the truth. Start with telling the truth yourself, and demand truth-telling from all your acquaintances. Telling the truth is easy, demand it from everyone!
How do you start to search for truth?
Get the facts and be open minded. We often think we are correct when we aren’t.
Do additional research, read newspapers, and ask questions.
Make sure your sources are credible.
Never spread things unless you know the source and check at least 2 more sources. Facebook, friends, family, and Fox talk shows, are not reliable sources.
From September of 1939:
All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die. By W. H. Auden
Ten more self-care ideas to get you through the pandemic from the Washington Post. Read here.
Here is the Actions For Happiness calendar for September. An important part of self-care involves telling the truth and never spreading falsehoods.
The Humming-bird
Like thoughts that flit across the mind,
Leaving no lasting trace behind,
The humming-bird darts to and fro,
Comes, vanishes before we know.
by Jones Very
What birds bring you Joy? The hummingbird is like a cute little fairy. It is magical how it hovers and darts. We do everything we can to attract them to our yard. They love red native plants.
Their migration has begun and they are fueling their tiny bodies for a long journey. It is always sad to say goodbye, but they’ll be back next spring. The first Saturday in September is National Hummingbird Day!
