Do I Practice What I Preach?
By now, some of you may be asking:
Does this person actually live according to what is written here?
Let’s answer that question and get it out of the way up front.
Yes, I do.
Not perfectly. I am human, just like everyone else. But the things I write about here are not just ideas I thought sounded good for a website. They are part of how I have tried to live my life for many years.
I do not share this to brag.
I do not share this to make you feel judged.
I am simply one person who has decided to stand up, much like the boy in the movie Pay It Forward, and try to make a difference in this crazy world.
This is a small piece of my personal story. I may share more along the way as it seems appropriate.
Let's begin here...
Years ago, on a Sunday morning, I woke up early and turned on the TV to see if anything good was on.
There was a forum-style program with a group of black pastors having a discussion. One of the men speaking made a point I have never forgotten.
He said we have a problem in this world.
It is not a black problem.
It is not a white problem.
It is not a problem belonging to one race in particular.
It is a society problem.
And the problem is this:
The world has forgotten what the word respect means.
People just do not have respect for one another anymore.
As I listened, I realized he was right.
The world was changing, and not in a good way.
That word — respect — stood out to me because I was raised on it. Respect mattered. How you treated people mattered. How you spoke to people mattered. Whether you looked someone in the eye and treated them like a human being mattered.
And it still matters.
One of my own personal examples comes from the five years I worked in a hospital.
Many of my co-workers had complaints about the patients they dealt with. They had problems. They had conflicts. They had difficult interactions.
I am not saying that to criticize them, and I am not saying this to brag.
But I never had those problems with the patients I dealt with.
Not one.
And I truly believe the reason was simple:
I treated every person according to the Golden Rule.
I treated them the way I would want to be treated.
With kindness.
With respect.
With patience.
With a smile.
When I walked into a patient’s room, I was a little like the dog I wrote about in another post.
My tail was wagging.
Okay, no, I was not actually wagging my tail.
But I did the next best thing.
I walked in with a smile on my face, a pleasant greeting, and love in my heart.
And people responded to it.
They felt it.
They knew I was not walking into that room just to do a task and leave. I was walking in as a human being speaking to another human being.
And that matters.
One patient in particular left a lasting impression on me. He was from England and was a member of Parliament. He was in the hospital for surgery, I believe for either a hip or knee replacement.
A couple of days before he was released, he complimented me on how I had treated him.
Then he asked me to come back to England and work for him.
I was not able to do that, of course, but I never forgot it.
That experience opened my eyes even more to something very important:
What we put into the world affects people.
The way we treat others matters.
A smile matters.
Kindness matters.
Respect matters.
Love matters.
I have tried to live that way for most of my life.
I have always believed that if I see someone without a smile, it is my job to share one of mine with them.
But these days, even that has become harder.
You walk into a store and try to make eye contact, and many people look away. People stay to themselves. They seem guarded. Distant. Suspicious. Cold.
And no, I do not think we can blame all of that on COVID.
This was happening long before then.
People have been pulling away from one another for a long time.
That breaks my heart.
And the racism in this world breaks my heart too.
We are all members of the human race.
Yet people act like enemies because someone’s skin color, background, or culture is different from theirs.
Really?
Most people want the same basic things.
A good world to live in.
A little peace.
A little joy.
A little kindness.
A place where people can live in harmony, smile together, laugh together, and treat one another with respect.
But too many people have been damaged by a world that does not live that way.
They have been hurt by nastiness.
They have been shaped by bitterness.
They have been taught by example to put ugliness back into the world.
And then, somehow, many still expect others to be kind to them.
But it does not work that way.
What we spread matters.
Dear reader, maybe you have wondered whether I practice what I preach.
I do.
Again, not perfectly. But yes, I do.
The Golden Rule has shaped my life. I try to put kindness, respect, and love into the world because I hope the world will be a little better for someone because I was kind to them.
There is a quote often shared that says:
“Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind, always.”
That is how I try to live.
And that is what this site is about.
Not just saying love matters.
Living like it does.
If you have your own story, I invite you to share it in the comments.
Maybe your story is about someone who showed you kindness when you needed it.
Maybe your story is about a time when you chose love instead of bitterness.
Maybe your story is about the hurt you have seen in this world and your desire to see something better.
Those stories matter too.
Because this world has enough hate.
It has enough cruelty.
Enough bitterness.
Enough division.
Enough people tearing one another down.
What it needs is more people willing to spread something better.
So yes, I practice what I preach.
And I invite you to do the same.
Be kind.
Show respect.
Share a smile.
Live the Golden Rule.
And maybe, just maybe…
Be a little more like your dog.
Because hate spreads.
But love can spread too.
Stand up in the fight against hate. Choose to spread the luv!
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