Have you heard of the term “warm and fuzzy”? It is the way you describe how you feel when you’ve heard a story that touches your heart, or when someone has done something extra nice, just because.
I arrived home from time in Australia and felt “warm and fuzzy” when my husband greeted me at the airport with a single rose. I had the same feeling when one of my cats, smooched all over me as soon as I sat on the lounge (the other, ignored me for a day because her nose was out of joint). I also had the same feeling when I received this email about a cab driver and his older passenger.
It’s not the first time I’ve read this story and I’m sure it won’t be the last time. However, I thought I would share it with you because not only will it give you the feeling of being “warm and fuzzy”, it will also provide you with a friendly reminder that great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one. People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, BUT they will always remember how you made them feel.
******
A Cab Ride
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. One night I took a fare at 2:30 am, when I arrived to collect, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.
But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute”, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.” I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
“What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighbourhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.
“Nothing,” I said
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “There are other passengers,” I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.
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Can you believe it… Christmas is just around the corner!
This Christmas I want to be a little creative with my gift giving and when I say ‘creative’ I mean make some of my gifts or finding gifts that are a little more unique and unusual.
This idea was inspired after I spent an afternoon flicking through my mum’s magazine collection of Scrapbooking Memories and Better Homes and Gardens.
Actually those magazines are a Christmas gift from my husband and I. A couple of years back I was a bit late organising my Christmas presents and in a mad panic made a dash for the internet to see what I could find online. While there I came across isubscribe and that’s where the idea of giving my parents magazine subscriptions for their Christmas gifts stemmed from. I was desparate but thought it was a fantastic idea because it is a gift that keeps on giving and they can keep each issue for later reference. They loved it!
It’s not the first time I’ve been a little creative with my gift giving. Many years ago, when I had a bit more time on my hands, I made all my Christmas gifts - corkboards, bath salts, photo frames, salad dressings and oils, soaps and photo albums. My gifts were a hit and everyone loved that I went to so much effort. A couple of years later I made all the women earrings and necklaces after attending a beading course.
So… this year I’ve decided to finish a stuffed mermaid for my niece. This mermaid is one of those ‘unfinished’ projects and not only do I want to move her on, but I think my niece will love her purple and pink hair, because it will match her purple and pink bedroom.
I am also considering for my sister-in-law, a premium pendant with a photograph of my niece and nephew etched into it. These pendants look great and Carolyn of Etched in Memories offers a range of 9ct Gold and Stirling Silver pendants.
One of my brothers has a mobile phone fetish so I think a Mock is in order for him. Have you heard about Mocks? They are mobile phone socks that come in an array of colours and patterns.
However, I’m yet to find the right gift for other family members and I’m not so sure I can be that creative for a 3 year old but… I will keep searching the internet, the markets that Hong Kong is so famous for and continue to flick through the various magazines that cross my path.
Have you thought about your gift giving this Christmas? Do you have any creative suggestions for me?
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Today I’m blogging for a cause, and joining 1000’s of bloggers around the world in BlogCatalog’s Blogging for a Great Cause Challenge.
Today we’re blogging against abuse.
Did you know that… abuse and neglect of children is Australia’s most serious social problem?
Or according to annual figures collated by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, every national indicator of the scale of the problem has risen every year for the past seven years? (i)
No? I didn’t either and with Australia my home country, this really concerns me.
A 2002 review by the Victorian Department of Human Services identified underlying causes as poverty, substance abuse, disability, mental health issues and the burdens of sole parenting – including social isolation and lack of family support. Children with disabilities and illnesses are at greater risk.
So… how do you know a child is being abused or neglected? According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, if a child is being physically abused, they may not want to go home, they my cringe at a loud voice or an approaching adult and they will have some sort of unexplained bruising, bites, black eyes or broken bones. If a child is being sexually abused, some of the more common signs are has difficult in walking or sitting, talks about sexual knowledge or behaviour and doesn’t want to participate in physical activities.
If a child is being neglected some of the signs are not wearing appropriate clothing for the season or clothes are often dirty. They may be hungry or may try to steal food or money for food and they could absent from school more often than not.
What to do? It is important to express your concern to a social worker in your area or the school principle. I’m sure your local Yellow Pages will provide contact numbers, otherwise do a google search for government departments in your local area.
Also support your local community in keeping children safe. From the 20th October to the 28th October it is Children’s Week in Australia. Keep an eye out for local events or maybe you can organise a fund raiser that supports a local charity that helps with keeping children safe.
Our children are our future… we need to keep them safe and enjoy their childhood as much as possible. Thanks for your support!
(i) sourced from The National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN).
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This was a speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.
I’m a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don’t Ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.
People don’t talk about the soul very much anymore. It’s so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter’s night, or when you’re sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you’ve received your test results and they’re not so good.
Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre at my job if those other things were not true.
You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are. So here’s what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you’d care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?
Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the colour of our kids’ eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live.
I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby’s ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face.
Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived.
I say… well said!
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That we live in an amazing world…
If you just look at all that already exists in your life, all that you already have: unlimited air to breathe, ample lighting to see, music to hear, books to read, stars to dream by, trees to gaze at, floors to dance on, friends to cavort with, enemies to befriend, strangers to meet, woods to walk through, beaches to comb, rocks to scale, rains to cleanse you, rivers to float you, animals to comfort you, you do have to admit, Nicole, there’s more of it than you could ever, ever, ever spend.
But try anyway.
Big shot,
The Universe
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Welcome to Issue 9 of Empowering Women. This carnival is about providing women with opportunities to make changes in their life so that they can move forward in becoming empowered, being happy and feeling comfortable in their own skin.
When I read Simone’s article about how to make change last longer than your lipstick, I thought this is the first article that everyone needs to read. Outfit Inspirations offers tools to lift your spirits and help focus your future.
Once you’ve read the abovementioned article, then I would suggest you hop on over to Alex at The Next 45 Years. Alex has a great article that discusses how we should be responsive not reactive when you are trying to Master your Emotions.
And keeping with the emotions theme, Ant over at The Beef Jerky explains you need to keep your emotions in check in the article, 5 ways not to get your point across and Warren over at What I think About tells us a story about overcoming his fears in the article, How to overcome fear and the obstacles it creates.
Once you’ve overcome your fears, got your emotions sorted and the changes are taking place, why not reward yourself. Tristan over at The Syergy Institute provides you with some ideas in the article, Rewarding yourself for getting things done (and on time).
Have a great week! And in the meantime, why not pass on the love, the knowledge and the wisdom to help anothers become empowered. Blessings to you.
Thank you to everyone that submitted articles. I would appreciate author’s linking back to this carnival.
You are invited to submit your blog article to the next edition using our carnival form.
Technorati Tags: empowering women, empowerment, implementing change, dealing with emotions, overcoming fears, rewarding yourself, inspiration
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“It is the true season of Love when we know that we alone can love; that no one could ever have loved before us and that no one will ever Love in the same way after us.”
- Goethe
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As women we all go through life’s changes which range from puberty to menopause and everything in between. We may bear children or decide to forge ahead with our own career… whatever our choice, we all have one thing in common, we are women.
Being a woman is an empowering journey and if you’re not too sure, watch this video and then acknowledge that you are an amazing woman.
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As someone who likes things with a twist, I love finding out about other people that offer services and products that are not ‘the norm’ or what is ‘expected’ by society today.
While spending time on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia I was also very spoilt because I got to record a meditation CD in a caravan which was situated in the bush, I got to meet some Internet friends and I spent a morning at Eumundi Markets which is full of new age products and hippy clothes.
Fast forward to the weekend just past and on Saturday night I attended my 20 year High School Reunion, and that was an experience! Considering the amount of people who were in my year, there was a pretty good turn out. It was so interesting to hear about what people were/are doing. One person had travelled the world buying gemstones for a wholesale gem and crystal business, another works with her Angels and provides holistic healing, and another took his passion for trucks and turned it into a success business.
Some of us found ourselves reminising about what we did get up to during high school, and what I realised was that I had always been someone who liked things that were not ‘the norm’. Someone kindly reminded me that I was jointly awarded the person with the strangest haircuts , I had made an aqua green jumpsuit in Home Economics (which was very 70’s and so, so ugly) and I was the only girl to ever attend Wind Surfing classes.
My quirkiness continued on through my 20’s and 30’s but as I’ve gotten older I’d have to say I’m not as daring as I use to be.
While flicking through My New Shiny Shoes like a shopping catalogue, Michelle’s blog post about The Conscious Bride caught my attention. Besides being a book-a-holic, I think I would have enjoyed reading the book prior to organising our wedding. It looks like a book that will provide women with a much needed new perspective about their wedding day.
When I got married, I tried not to get too caught up with what was ‘expected’ of me and tried to concentrate on what the day meant to us as a couple. Again, I didn’t follow ‘the norm’ and due to this, there were a few gasps and rolling eyes along the way. What I loved about our wedding was that we stayed true to who were were… individually and as a couple. I loved that I wore a red dress, that both my parents walked me down the isle, we served little bottles of champagne with straws and that we chose to say our thank you speech at the beginning of the night.
When I reflect back on my life, I can see that most of the time I have stayed true to who I am. I may not have always shown my quirkiness or my true self all the time but she was always there. And having spent the last week and a half around people who are staying true to themselves, it has inspired me even more to continue along my own path and to continue being proud of who I am and what I am doing.
Now for you to reflect on your own life… are you staying true to yourself?
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I love learning whether it is through formal courses, online workshops, reading or through talking about and reflecting on my experiences. I guess that is why I am in the field I am in, because learning is a passion and providing people with the opportunity to learn nourishes my soul.
Over the past couple of years I would have to say that my learning has been more online by participating in online workshops or free courses as well as reading other people’s blogs. Actually while reading Rainbow Design’s blog I discovered that Jacqui posted about her 7 favourite learning posts from a range of blogs… what a fantastic idea!
Once I’m back in Hong Kong I will endeavour to list a few of my favourite learning posts but in the meantime, I’m going to list a few of the ’structured learning’ I will doing in the near future.
Self Publishing - Now that things are moving along with our ‘Journal for the Modern Goddess’ I’m starting to learn more and more about self publishing and self promotion.
Soul Coach - I’m heading to the US at the end of October to become an authorised Soul Coach and at the moment I am revisiting the program to be prepared for the next step in my exciting adventure.
Art and Goddesses - Once back from my course, I will be learning to paint, actually I’ll be concentrating on mixed-media painting because this is something that I love looking at. I also have a dream of one day holding my own exhibition and showing of an array of modern day goddesses.
And I’m learning all about these prior to Christmas, however I do look forward to the whole experience and being able to tell you all about it.
I would love to hear about what you’re up to… Are you attending any workshops or participating in online workshops in the near future?