I Believe
I believe that life is its own answer.
I believe that free will means we're free to screw up.
I believe that free will also means that we're free to try again.
I believe trying your best is enough. I also believe that trying your best is incredibly difficult sometimes.
I believe in keeping promises.
I believe in tickles.
I believe that anger has its place. I also believe that anger out of place is destructive and sinful.
I believe that honesty need not be brutal.
I believe in giving heartfelt compliments.
I believe that gracefully receiving kindness is as important as gracefully offering kindness.
I believe in smiling at new parents, especially when their babies are crying.
I believe prayer changes people - sometimes in unexpected ways.
I believe that every person has value, even if it's hard for me to see.
I believe that quality of life is immeasurable.
I believe that satisfaction lasts longer than happiness.
I believe in giving others the benefit of the doubt.
Inspired by this post on a site I discovered after reading a bajillion comments in response to this other post. The Sweet Juniper post and comments really struck a chord with me and it's been spinning around in my brain ever since.
3 comments:
"I believe that gracefully receiving kindness is as important as gracefully offering kindness."
I really need to work on the receiving kindness part of that. When people are nice to me for no apparent reason, I get all awkward and don't know what to say.
I like what you believe in, Christy. And you are right: learning how to receive is as important as learning how to give.
I'm a big fan of the writer Lois Battle. In one of her novels, Bed and Breakfast, one character is depressed by the epitaph she finds on a tombstone -- "She did her best" -- but another character contends that really having done's one best is something that anyone ought to be proud of. I agree with this wholeheartedly; people tend to throw this expression out very casually, but really putting in maximum effort requires a huge effort and enormous willpower. If everyone really aimed for this, though, the world would be a much better place.
And what is more, we'd all be too tired to cause much mischief.
Jen - I have trouble with that too. It's hard because we're all taught from a young age to be independent.
Mary - I'm pretty sure I could cause a little mischief even when tired. I'm making a mental note of that novel. It sounds right up my alley.
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