Tuesday, October 9, 2007

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:

Jen said...

"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.

Mary Witzl said...

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.

Christy said...

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.