if you want your life to stand for peace and kindness, it’ s helpful to do kind, peaceful things. one of my favorite ways to do this is by developing my own helping rituals. these little acts of kindness are opportunities to be of service and reminders of how good it feels to be kind and helpful.

color our world with words

用颜色词把生活天地点缀得五彩缤纷

林丽芳

本文选自美国作家jim willis的畅销书《pieces of my heart—–writings inspired by animals and nature》，以自述的形式讲述了一只家犬对昔日主人的真情告白。当年作者用七千美元以全版广告的形式在报纸上刊登了该文章，以一篇文章感动了所有的读者。

forty-three years seems like a long time to remember the name of a mere acquaintance. i have forgotten the name of an old lady, who was a customer on the paper route in my home town when i was a twelve-year-old boy. yet it dwells in my memory that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that i shall never forget.

i like the subtle fresh green budding from the branches of the tree – the herald of spring, ushering in the dawn

i like the subtle flow of cloud that makes the sky seem even more vast, azure and immense

i was the ugly one at school - the kid with the coke-bottle glasses, the spots, the braces. i got picked on all the time. i was treated not just as ugly, but as an idiot. instead of learning maths, i learned to despise myself.

awareness. most often we do these social comparisons without realizing we’re doing it. it’s a natural act, i suppose, and as a result it’s something that is done without consciousness. so the solution is to become conscious — bring these thoughts to the forefront of your consciousness by being on the lookout for them. if you focus on these thoughts for a few days, it gets much easier with practice, and soon it’ll be hard not to notice.

first, the second part of that title isn’t true. you either forgot who loves you, or need to find more people who do.
but there may be times where you feel alone and depressed — just about everyone has spells like that, or is strong enough to admit it. it’s not easy to talk about, but loneliness, feeling unwanted, and even self-hate from time to time is extremely common. if your hermiting drags on for weeks, you’ll want the help of healthcare experts, but if it’s not so severe and happens on occasion, here’s some vibrant and practical suggestions for you:
gather a “praise pile”

a little boy asked his mother “why are you crying?”

“because i’m a woman,” she told him.

“i don’t understand,” he said.