Gift of a Helping Hand

We all benefit from the assistance of others as we make our way through each and every day. Life is not a solo endeavor. Even though we often feel alone as we go about our daily routine, I invite you to take a step back and think about how many people helped you yesterday. On the flip side, how many did you help? I suspect it’s a significant number. We just tend to take much of it for granted.

A large portion of our days consist of routines, and because of this, we tend to miss the little random acts of kindness people do for us. Helping each other is integral to our nature. Today I challenge you to keep your eyes open for two things.

• Recognize when someone helps you and feel gratitude for their efforts on your behalf.
• Watch for ways you can assist someone else. How can you make their day a little brighter? And then don’t overthink it, just do it. 

​A friend has been toying with the idea of starting her own blog. She is a gifted writer with a warm heart and wisdom to share. She’s cheered me on since the beginning and I knew I wanted to do the same for her. As so often happens, when you keep your eyes open to the possibilities, we found a way to help each other.

Today I’m delighted to share a guest blog post with you, written by my friend Carla Torgerson:
   
Acceptance…
 
Ten letters strung together to make one word. Simple enough, right?

For some of us, acceptance comes easily. For others, the process is like being dragged along an unfamiliar path that is uncomfortable, and at times, almost unbearable.
 
Like most, I have had to accept many things in life.  Sometimes I’ve been able to do this with grace. Sometimes, quite the opposite.
 
A few years ago, I heard the words YOU HAVE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS for the first time. Those four words have drastically changed my life. They shook me to my core, dropped me to my knees, and took the wind out of my sails. They significantly altered how I thought of myself as a person.
 
I was once a very strong and vibrant woman, but as the disease took its toll on my body, little by little pieces of who I was began to disappear. The list of things that I can no longer do is long. 

Saying goodbye to the woman I once was has been grueling. It truly has been a difficult grieving process of letting go without a safety net in place that assured me of who I was now going to be.
 
I found myself wishing, wanting, and hoping for things that were no longer possible. Daily I wasted my emotional and physical energy in a state of denial, bargaining with my inner self. Trying to make it all make sense. Attempting to calm my heart and settle my broken spirit.
 
It seemed like it took forever to wrap my head around the news. I passed through each stage of grief. Shock, denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. I glided through some of them swiftly but camped out in others for way too dang long.
 
After days, weeks and months of struggle, I think I have found myself in the acceptance stage. I won’t lie. It’s not easy and I can’t pretend that it is. I have a feeling acceptance is an undertaking all its own.
 
What I have come to realize is that we all must learn and grow through experiences that life throws at us. Each of us has our own story to tell. Every one of us has faced challenges and have needed to accept the things we cannot change.
 
For myself, it’s important to embrace life and all that it has to offer, instead of dwelling on what is no more. I am now hopeful of the endless possibilities for me to grow into a new person. The person I am meant to be. Because after all, isn’t that enough?

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​I am so excited for Carla to be starting something new and look forward to reading her words of wisdom in the future. I invite you to check out her new blog at the link below.

Click Her to Visit Carla's New Blog

If you can find some little way today to help someone else pursue their dreams, do it! Support their small business, visit their restaurant, or read what they’ve offered to share. Nothing will make you feel better than providing someone else with a helping hand.     Kim