Okay, shame on me for not posting sooner, it's still February though (just!).  To say I've been a little busy would be an understatement. The winter holidays seem to go in a rush, and winter (in the Northern states) is colder and darker, so it always seems like there's not enough time to get things done. Now that we are approaching Spring, it's time to wake up and begin thinking about renewal.

     With that thought in mind, I was in Yoga practice this morning and had a thought during our meditation time. Our instructor had guided us earlier to "open our hearts", to feel what it feels like, knowing we've had our hearts "closed", to explore the difference and ponder why we close our hearts. My thought at the time is that we generally "close our hearts" when we've been hurt, or to keep people from hurting us.  Later, picking up that train of thought, I considered why it is so difficult for us to live our lives with "hearts open", with compassion and caring.  We struggle, from the day we are born, to become "individual", separate from others. Western school systems teach children about not striving as a team or a community, but about personal gain and achievements. This lack of common goals makes selfish, self centered, and inconsiderate adults, and yet we wonder why our culture is so "sick" and "unhealthy".   We have lost the feeling of being interconnected, that we are all a part of a greater WHOLE, rather than separate beings. In our Yoga practice we attempt to let go of that "busy" mind, the "small" mind, and embrace the larger conscousness, to connect with the whole.

     I don't have an answer as to what to do to "solve" the problem on a cultural basis or even a large scale. But I think if we, as individuals attempted, on a regular (if not daily) basis to consciously reach out to others... to listen, comfort, chat with or simply SMILE... it would make a great deal of difference. And yes, SMILE... A simple smile can change someone elses day dramatically! And listening, all by itself, not only helps the person who is speaking but gives us perspective on our own lives.
     So, if you get nothing else from this today, remember that a simple SMILE can bring brightness to someone who might otherwise have been feeling down and dismal.
          So if you see me on the street.... smile, and I will, in return, smile at you.  :)