Wildflower Writes

Photo by  Heather Ford  on  Unsplash I didn’t want to cook tonight. I knew it would require defrosting. I finally decided garlic butter chicken sounded good. Half an hour later, I had chicken baking in the oven. As I relaxed in the living room with my mobile game, the scent of garlic wafted in. One tablespoon of the chopped root had soon overtaken the whole place. I think acts of kindness are like garlic. It doesn’t take much to flavor someone’s day, to bring a smile to someone’s face. Even if you’re not the direct recipient of the kindness, the spirit of it can permeate the air. Kindness starts as an attitude, a belief that all people deserve the benefit of the doubt. It also implies that we have the power to make a positive impact on other people. The only thing left is to open our eyes to look for opportunities to be kind to others. In my opinion, almost everything is better with a little garlic.

Life requires fun. This is coming from a person who has always taken her pursuits seriously. From studies, to athletics, to dating (I had a checklist), I made it a point to do everything within my power to succeed and excell. When I'm in this mode, I easily put off those things which seem frivolous: playing games with my children, exercise, girls' night, mystery novels... and other things which aren't "productive" or helping me meet my goals. As I've come to grudgingly accept, doing fun or leisure things is part of being a healthy, well-rounded person. Having something fun to look forward to lightens the load and helps me press forward. It's like shaking out an old rug, letting all the dirt and dust fly- allowing me to be refreshed for the next challenge ahead. Go ahead. Schedule some fun into your day and your week, and don't feel guilty about it. It will make you a better person.