Stick With Love. Decide to Refuse the Burden of Hate

We’re living through tough times, I know, and I want to help. So each day this month, I’m offering you 4 gifts: 1 image, 1 quote, 1 idea, and 1 thing you might want to try.

Here is your 11:11 for today.

ONE IMAGE




ONE QUOTE

I have decided to to stick with love.
Hate is too great a burden to bear.
_{― Martin Luther King (1929 – 1968) American minister, Civil Rights activist}

ONE IDEA

There was a time, some years ago, when I found myself in a place I never wanted to be.

After 27 years of trying, I made one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life, and left my marriage. There was, as you might expect, lots of anger. Hurt. Loss. Grief.

But even then, I knew that I had a choice. I had a choice about how I felt, thought and acted – both during and after the divorce. I had a choice about who I wanted to be going forward. I had a choice about what I wanted my life to be like. And so did he.

And although it took a while, we eventually made good choices. We learned to get along. We let the anger go. He continued to do the things in his life that he loved, like singing in a men’s gospel group and playing golf with his friends. I launched a new business and started traveling more. We both moved on.

Today, even though we’ve been apart for many years, we are still good friends. He checks on me if we’ve had some rough weather. I feed his cat when he’s out of town.

It works.

I have never spoken about this publicly, as I’m not one to share such things, really. But it occurred to me that things are happening in the world right now that we don’t like, don’t want, and can’t control – too. And it would be really easy to give in to anger, hurt or grief. It would be really easy to be consumed with fear and resentment, to drown in negative energy.

But we, too, have a choice.

ONE THING to TRY

Or maybe, three. :)

Every time you find yourself getting angry at a political leader who’s doing something you don’t like, see if you can find an example of one – or more – who’s doing something you appreciate.

Every time you find yourself feeling resentful that you can’t go out, see if you can find something to appreciate about staying in.

Every time you read a news story that brings up feelings of despair, go find a story that makes you feel good about the human race. Just Google “good news” and pick something. (Here’s one to get you started.)

Let the negative go.
Find a way to feel good.

P.S. Got a favorite good news story? Send it to me. I could use it too! :)