Positively Erin Marie

There was a little boy in the news once who lost both his mother and his father soon after each other.  Amidst all his struggles he realized one day that he was tired of hurting and seeing other people hurt  So, one day he asked his Aunt, who was raising him, to help him with a special request.  So they went out and bought a whole bunch of rubber duckies and went downtown and started handing them out to random strangers.  The strangers would smile and laugh and ask why he was handing out rubber duckies to everyone.  You know what he said?  He said because he just wanted to make people happy.  Isn’t that amazing?  A little boy who was hurting and missing his mommy and daddy found hope and happiness in helping others and putting a smile on strangers’ faces.  He still went out for a while and handed out dinosaurs to the men he came in contact with and rubber duckies to the women and that made him happy.  Sometimes when you’re in the midst of a struggle, it’s hard to see the silver lining or imagine that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.  But in order to get through it, you either have to imagine it and walk toward it or change your circumstances or your view of your circumstances.  As in the case of this little boy.  He was hurting and lonely for his parents but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he went out and tried to make other people happy.  And that made him happy! 

What makes you happy friends?  A smile?  A hug?  A kind word?  Or maybe, like this little boy, making others happy makes you happy.  Whatever it is, seek it out.  If you can’t find it, give it out.  What I mean by “give it out” is even if you’re having a rough day, if you make it a point to just smile at someone or say hello, you’ll be surprised how this act of showing kindness to others softens your heart and lightens your mood.  In my nursing career, one thing I have realized that is so incredibly important to patients, something so simple and so easy yet often forgotten in the midst of a rough day, is a gentle touch, a kind word, or a smile.  That’s all it takes to make someone’s day.  Who knows what kind of impact you can have on others by looking outside yourself.  You could even save a life.  Heck, you could save your own life!  So look beyond your circumstances…at the bigger picture…at the world around you.  You’ll discover incredible things…beautiful things…and an inner strength you never knew existed.

Until next time friends,