The Secret to a Low Down Day

Helping others is the way we help ourselves - Oprah Winfrey

Everything is wonderful. How many times have we said it and not meant it? How many times have we heard it and not believed it? Smiling with tears in our eyes. Forcing that laugh. Knowing that it hurts deep down inside. I have talked about us expressing our hurt and getting healed. I have talked about riding through and getting to a better place. Today I want to talk about recognizing that same hurt in someone else. Or even just seeing any sort of pain in another person around us. We live in a world where the pressure is to have an amazing life. We need to have that “perfect family”. We need to have the “perfect” job. We need to live that “perfect” life. But there are so many people around us struggling and striving to just feel joy in their lives. 

Some hurt people are not  always easy to find because they feel like they are not allowed to cry. They are not allowed to show emotion. They can’t break down or show a moment of weakness. They were taught to be strong at all times.  As I went along my healing journey I found that helping someone else heal brought more warmth into my life. Making someone feel better helped improve my mood. It made me feel happier regardless of my situation. I want to encourage you to do the same. Aside from being a good person who is eager to help others, we sometimes put it on pause when we are feeling pain; The pain becomes our focus. We can’t see anything but our situation.

But sometimes helping to heal someone else is the medicine we needed all along. 

One day I was taking the kids to school and my tire was suddenly flat. I was having a rough morning and we were already running late, I pulled over frustrated not knowing what I would do because I had never changed a tire in my life. It was also a busy road with morning traffic. I considered getting back in to try and move to a different location when a man on his bike pulled over. He told me to get out and open my trunk. I didn’t even have time to think who this man was and why he was barking orders at me. He immediately got off his bike and started to change my tire like a pro. I started to thank him profusely at that point. He was also not having a great morning. He owned a barber shop and was rushing to get there to open for the day. As we talked we both started to feel better and laugh about the crazy morning we were in. By the time my car was all set we were able to leave feeling better. I was confused because he had been my angel that appeared out of nowhere that felt God sent. What on earth could have possibly made his mood better.

As time went by I realized the simple act of helping another human can actually bring joy into your heart. It soon became something I would aim to do more of on my sad days. My new prescription in life. I highly recommend a dose of it in yours. Thanks for listening.