Cold Honest Truth in a Parking Lot

It has been bitterly cold in my hometown. The temperature rarely reaching its fingers towards the norm. And with this sustained unusual freeze, behaviour has frayed. Common decency has declined, people are cutting corners.

The typically polite have become short-tempered, the usual joyous faces are strained. We are tired of bundling up just to cross a parking lot, and heaving ourselves and what we are carrying over the snow banks pushed towards the sidewalks. We are walking cautiously as ice lurks when we are not watching.

Appointments have been postponed. Running around errands still sit on people's lists.

But today the groceries had to be done.

As I started my usual hour-long ordeal I made my way across the parking lot to get a shopping cart. A mother and about ten-year-old son were finished their groceries and were retrieving their loonie as they pushed their cart into alignment to unlock the release. The young lad pushed with all his might and then stopped with delight as he saw the bag left behind in the lower shelf of the cart next to him.

Look Mom, he shrieked with glee. The bag that someone had forgotten in their haste held a big bag of potato chips, a couple of bottles of coke and several large chocolate bars.

We can't do that, his Mom shook her head. But they LEFT it, the young guy said. They won't come back! NO ONE will know. I LOVE those potato chips.

But those things are not ours, Mom said, as she looked seriously into her son's eyes. We might forget something one day and wouldn't it be nice if someone returned it to us. They might come back. And we will know.

I pushed my cart behind the Mom and son as they made their way back through the parking lot to return the bag of groceries to customer service.

And WHO would know?

I know. They know. And now you know too.

Simple cold honest truth in the parking lot. (Tweet This)

Life lesson on honesty from Mom to son in a parking lot. (Tweet This)


Now tell me, how will you pass on the life lesson on honesty?

Choosing a Better Journey

Life is not a solo act. 

It's a huge collaboration, 

and we all need to assemble around us
the people who care about us 
and support us in times of strife.

Tim Gunn

Thank you dear reader for sticking by me with your patience. As many of you have noticed (thanks for your emails) I have not been actively writing here for a little while. My time has been dedicated to deep thinking on the future of my writing projects.

There comes a point in each of our lives that parts of our self slip away, either we take off the mask or we decide to keep it on permanently. 

Courtesy Unsplash, Pixabay

In my efforts to Simplify this year, I was prepared to confront some deep-held beliefs which have swept me along as reasons (excuses?) to not be the writer that I am. 

As a writer, we are often afraid to offend those closest to us because of our words. And although we know that anything and everything can be taken in the not-intended way, most of us are not quite brave enough to step past that line of full honesty and disclosure.

In my time away, I have been tossed about with this idea. How does a person speak their truth? I'm not speaking about facts here, I'm referring to emotion. What annoys us, what encourages us, what makes us sigh with pleasure, and what makes us boil. Let's all remember that my truth may not often or necessarily be your truth.

But all any one of  us want is to be heard. Equally. If what I write makes you reflect. Excellent. If my images remind you of your happy childhood. Wonderful. If my words make you angry. They've made you think, and that was their purpose.

We are truly fortunate if we have people in our lives who not only support us, but also love us enough to tell us that we need to get over whatever we are stuck in. We need to have people in our life who are willing to call us on our B.S. and our fears.

They are the ones who will help us grow...better. They are the ones who want us to succeed, they are strong enough in their own right and don't need anything from us. They just want to come along for our journey.

Look for these people everyday, they are there, waiting. It's up to you to recognize them.

I will promise you this, you might not always like what you read here. (Click to Tweet)

All I want is for you to have a better journey.  (Click to Tweet)

PutYourNameHere.com

Each day of our lives, we are all selling something. Ourselves.

Tell me, who are you? What do you believe in and what do you stand for? What’s your mission in life?

Why should I turn to you for comfort, for your services, your product or for love? What’s your shtick? What sets you apart from anyone else?

PutYourNameHere.com Produced in Canva

Are you honest and kind? Can you be counted on in hard times?

Are you giving or selling? Are you consuming or providing? Are you nice?

What are you hiding? And are you dealing with it?

Are you still the good, trusting person you were at six? Has life jaded you and made you wary?

Who are you at the end of the day alone in the dark? What do you think when you see yourself in the mirror?

What do you need to still work on? And do you allow enough time to play?

Why should someone hold you in your sadness and wipe your tears of frustration? Will you do it for them?

Are you happy about your present situation? Why or why not? What are you going to do about your part in it?

Do you deserve to be trusted?

There’s only one You.com.  

Now, Live it.

What will you ask yourself to help create a better You? (Click to Tweet)

Safety Net for Honesty

One of the main reasons I write is to encourage my readers to be the best they can be. When we feel empowered we are able to stand up for what is the truth about ourselves, our family and our working organization, we are able to create a more honest world. Unfortunately, our environment is often filled with the personally insecure who can disrupt our best intentions.

The insecure come in all shapes and sizes. It can be the parent who uses his fist or in all levels of employment. They can be most masterful. Insecurity runs deep and those who have fooled their public for a long time, have a lot to lose. They are often bullies, but because of rank are deemed untouchable. It is hard to fight back if there is no food on the table.

The insecure will throw away integrity (and you) to make themselves look good. They will discard good morals because the façade they have invented is all they are. They are hesitant to accept responsibility for their actions because blaming someone else comes easier.

When the emotional culture of your day betrays you constantly it is a struggle to face each morning. We are adults and should know how to play nice.

For those of us on a different path it is difficult to understand this. What happened to honesty and kindness? We will not play the game and it is terribly annoying to these people. We will be hurt and ridiculed for our naïve ways, and that is alright. Because as we gain strength, we can spot them, stay away from them, and leave them to their insecure ways.

Most days I can see these people with more compassion, and wonder what made them this way, what event made them think that this was how they need to be in the world. Today is not one of them. Today I am unhappy that I could not reach them to see the safety of being honest. Today is a hard day and I know there will be more.

I will be better tomorrow but today I need a hug.