The Love in Loving People

Last night there was an amazing lesson at institute (and my opinion may be considered bias because the teacher is my dad, but it was a really great lesson). There was one point in the discussion in which we talked about "lengthing your stride" and what that means. We came to an agreement that it basically means that you try a little harder, get out of your comfort zone, be a little better. I thought this was such a great concept! Just think, if every person tried to be a little better every day, or every week, month, or even just every year, think of the impact on the world!

That means your coworker, Bucky, starts wearing deodorant; you and your lunch partners buy an extra burger or taco off the dollar menu and give it to a homeless person on your way back to the office; Giselle, the town gossip queen, starts talking positively about people; we all start calling our parents weekly, just to say "hi" and see how they are doing; some of us who don't have our grandparents anymore adopt a grandparent who doesn't have a family.

The list of possibilities goes on and on. The point is, each one of us has little baby steps towards becoming the best we can be. If we all start figuring out what those steps are, and following through with the easy things, I honestly believe the world would be a much better place, people would be happier, healthier, and cleaner. (I mean, the world is already a pretty rad place, and life is pretty delicious; but, there's always room for improvement, right?!)

So, what I propose is that the three people who read my blog try to be a little better for the rest of this year, and they each tell three of their friends to find something they can be a little better at, and then those three people tell three more people....(I know this sounds a lot like "Pay It Forward", but it's not. It's about personal progress, which includes service, which I guess really is like that movie. Oh, well!)

I guess the real difference comes in strengthening relationships with each other. When we start caring about the people around us (and, yes, wearing deodorant shows you care), then we find joy in life and we obtain a hope that the world will continually become a better place. Because I think, in the end, it really is all about the people, not the things.

"There is no hope of joy except in human relations." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery