Skip to main content

Be the Good


Why is everyone so angry lately? In public. Online. On the roads. It’s so exhausting. The very air can be so heavy sometimes. And it can really beat you down if you let too much of it in. We can all do better. I can definitely be impatient. Sometimes, I get triggered, sure. When these situations arise, though, we have a choice; hastily react or pause (breathe, if necessary) and assess the actual scenario.

I’ll let you in on a little secret.

I have terrible anxiety. And, unfortunately, it seems to be getting worse as I get older. Ironically, I always thought the opposite would happen. You grow up and you’re supposed to let minor bullshit go, right? The answer is a bit more complicated than “yes or no.” I can let minor things go, yes. But usually it’s only after I’ve obsessed for a while. And now, for added fun, I find I obsess over very different things than I used to. Gone are the days or worrying what I’m going to wear out or when my paper is due. (Well, not completely gone…) They have been replaced with adult-y things; kid, money, job, husband, the weather…

So, what do I do?

I know everyone tends to use the Christmas season as a time to be a better person – even if it’s only for a little while. And that’s great! But, for me, it’s a little bigger than that. I’ve made a conscious decision to put out what I want to get back.

I’ve been taking every opportunity I can to put good out into the world. If Karma is a bitch, then she can also be an angel, right? If what goes around comes around, then I got a lot of good coming my way. And the truth is, I need some good. (We all do!) Not to say I’m only doing this for what I’ll get in return. I just figure, it couldn’t hurt. And, it just feels really damn good.

I challenged myself to start small; a smile, a compliment. Smiles are totally contagious, you know. And then I moved on to buying someone’s coffee and donating a few Christmas presents. Maybe it doesn’t seem like much to you but it’s a contribution to the world I want to be a part of – that I want my family to be a part of. And, not once, have I regretted it.

Maybe this blog will inspire you to do the same. Give it a try. I can’t guarantee a quick return on good Karma. But I bet you’ll also find it’s worth your time. And if your smile inspires someone else to then pay theirs forward… oh, what a wonderful world.

Merry Christmas!

-Vanessa Sully

See? Dalton gets it.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Extra Cheese: A Tale of Heartbreak

I’ve become the very thing I used to mock. If 5-years-ago-me   heard some of the things coming out of Today-me’s mouth regularly, I’d scoff, “Suck it up!” and take another bite of my extra-cheese pizza and gulp a drink of beer. But, oh how times have changed. I’ve been reduced to 3 questions: “Do you have gluten-free options?” “Can I get lactose-free milk?” “Is it possible to leave off the sesame seeds?” A little background: I’ve basically been in some sort of pain for about the last year or so. I got used to taking daily Ibuprofen’s, sometimes Naproxen. Some days Ibuprofen and Aspirin. And still some days both with a heating pad. That’s just how it was going to be now. I’m in my 40’s and (according to one useless Doctor’s analysis and dismissal) and I should just learn to cope as I begin my decade-long slide into menopause. Yeah, thanks. My discomfort sent me to the emergency room 3 times. Blood work showed nothing and I was beginning to lose hope. Then, af...
Post a Comment
Read more

"The Nun" - My review

The Nun (2018) Directed by Corin Hardy *****Spoiler Alert***** Here we go. Another installation in James Wan's Conjuring universe. So far, it is #1 at the box office and that's really no surprise. It's predecessors were major hits and we were all hungry for another bite. We were first introduced to The Nun in 2016's The Conjuring 2. Like most, I thought she was absolutely terrifying. Unlike most, I suppose, I always find a seemingly random villain more unnerving. That air of this could happen to you  hanging in the air like an ominous cloud. But, the masses screamed for more and very quickly The Nun backstory was coming to theaters. Now, to be fair, when I found out they were making this I, too, was on board. I'm always down for a scary movie. I love to see them in the theater. Even when the initial reviews came back and weren't so good, that didn't deter me. I find it a very rare thing that a horror movie gets a fair shake. True lover's o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bronze

On one of our first dates, Matt took me to Luby's for lunch. I remember sitting there giggling over a heap of fried okra (and other delectable cafeteria fare) and thinking, "This guy someone I want to know." Just a few hours earlier, he had picked me up, drove me to the mall and told me he wanted "to buy me something pretty." Indeed he did. No expense was spared, in fact. After, we ate Luann Platters and   toasted our sweet tea in plastic cups. The bar was set pretty high. I couldn't have been happier. And that's my Matthew in a nutshell. He treats me like a queen wherever we go - be it a fancy boutique or a greasy diner. The world is our stage and we're always having a ball. Ask anyone. It's funny to me that two people who swore they would never EVER get married turned out to be really good at it. We fight, sure. (Boy! We've had some good ones!) We annoy each other almost daily. (Just put the dishes in the sink, ok?!) But we also laugh. ...
2 comments
Read more