31 days to a kinder me. Day 3.

Living well. What a life purpose that is. Simple words, and a very complex concept. What is it to live well? This Tibetan proverb has four suggestions. 

1. Eat half. Ok, I can see that, at least for me. Eat healthier might be a better way to put this, especially in 2016 in the USA. Of course, there are always those whose take things to the extreme, and moderation seems to be key in this, as in most things in life. 
2. Walk double. Exercise. Maybe spend more time outside when weather and schedule permits. Walk and observe. Experience you surroundings. 
3. Laugh triple. Oh my. How this is needed, for so many people. Things just seem to get so serious, and a big laugh, the kind where your belly hurts and you have tears streaming down your face. Such a cleansing experience. 
4. Love without measure. For me this means to love without expectation, without strings, without pressure. 

How can eating half, walking double, laughing triple, and loving without measure help me be kinder? Eating half, or eating healthier, means that I will feel better physically. So if I feel better, it would seem to follow that I would be easier to be around. It is like those Snickers candy commercials on television. How we feel inside directly affects how we interact with our environment. 

Hand in hand with the eating half is the walking double. Exercise helps us. Everyone knows that. It helps us be more alert, it helps our metabolism function at a more efficient rate, it helps us sleep and rest better at night. 

Laughing triple. There is an old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Be pleasant. Smile at people. Use humor to diffuse tense situations. People laugh at me frequently. Apparently, I have a way of saying things that is funny. I do not mean to be funny, but this has always happened to me. Part of it stems from the blunt factor I wrote about yesterday. I like to smile at people, random strangers in stores, clerks, customers at work, co-workers. I suppose smiling at people is a form of practicing kindness. And when I smile at people, I like to look them in the eye. One thing about laughter though, I think it is very important to take care about the subject matter of your humor. I prefer to poke fun at myself, because I know what subjects are off limits and what personal peccadilloes I am ok with others finding humor in. So laugh at me, and with others. Check.

Love without measure. Just love. Love your life, your family, your pets, your job, your mate, your world. We get one shot at this incarnation, make it count. Love without measure and regrets will be few. Be generous with hugs, when they are welcomed, and make them last long enough for the endorphins to kick in. 

I want to be kinder. I want to be able to be a difference that matters in the lives of others. I think this is a worthwhile, and achievable, goal.