Natey’s school is less than 3 miles away from our home. I can run there in under 30 minutes, but often times it takes me the same amount of time to drive there because of the awful traffic to get onto Lincoln.

Not my Seagull, but one of many photos on-line

Today we successfully left our home before 7:30 am, my ideal time. I have worked it out so I know that if I am out the door before 7:30 am , I can cruise it even if there is a ton of traffic, and I will be on time. This morning we were in a great place! I was second in line to make the dreaded left turn to get onto Lincoln. I was winning! Perhaps I was even going to be at school too early! We were groovin’ to Pete the Cate, when the kids let out  “Oh no! Mama! Look at that Seagull!”

I turn around and there it was. A Seagull whose leg was caught in a plastic bag. He was trying to get it off but he was tangled in the bag. There were about 60 cars behind me coming from all directions to get onto my spot. My heart yanked at me to pull over but my mind quickly reminded me that I had a commitment to be at school early. I had accomplished the very difficult task of leaving at my ideal time and now held the best position in queue.

My nephew’s sad face

I maneuvered my car, put my emergency lights on and made an illegal half way turn, and pulled into a little corner. A very dangerous corner to pull into, as I was also going against traffic. Perhaps not the best decision but it is because of us, humans, that this Seagull was now on a path of struggle. I grabbed my Swiss army knife and jumped out of the car. I approached it very carefully but he was clearly scared and wouldn’t let me near. It flew away as far as it could but the bag inflated when he tried to fly higher and down it came. I couldn’t run onto the street, I had broken enough rules, so I jumped in the car, turned around, and got back in line. All the way at the end.

Tears welled up and I began to cry on my drive to school. Earth is such a special place, that we were so lovingly given to take care of. We cohabitate and often times I think we, humans, forget. We can take bird poop off our shirts, but an animal can’t unwrap a plastic bag from its leg. They can’t control warming temperatures. They can’t control what we are taking and how we change their world, too.

I don’t have any words of wisdom, other than do what you can for our amazing planet earth (and try not to break too many rules or put your life in danger while doing it). A lot of animals and nature depend on our behavior and our choices. Pick up an extra piece of trash when you see one on the floor. Recycle. Speak up for those who can’t. Let us remember to be kind not only to each other, but also our Earth and all its inhabitants.

As a parent, we look forward to teaching our children about kindness and the consequences that come without it. We read books, we redirect their behavior when not in line with our principles, and hope that everything we are doing will be fruitful.

One of the big reasons why I love Nathan’s school is because of their IB learning profile. They pride themselves on teaching beyond a basic education education by teaching our children to be inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, CARING, risk-takers, balanced and reflective in everything they do.

Wow. right. If our child could just have half of these, the world would be a better place. But this post is not about our children. It is about us, as adults. I think somewhere along the lines, as adults we can become comfortable in our places, and we stop growing. In the last couple of years, my family has begun a different educational journey. We stopped being part of the preschool years and entered Nathan’s long journey of education. But in the process, I’ve discovered that there is a lack of kindness coming from adults.

When did we lose our ability to show kindness? This was my question for a very long time, but it dawned on me last night as I cried myself to sleep over a heavy disappointment, that it is not that we lost our ability to be kind, we have simply not given it its proper time. We have stopped being mindful of our surroundings and focused in on ourselves. In the world of social media and its impact on peoples views of themselves, we have become blind towards others and redirected our view upon ourselves.

Kindness takes work. It takes initiative. It takes looking beyond ourselves and looking outside our peripheral. It takes waking up in the morning and thinking for 2 seconds how we can be kinder, and how our actions can have a positive ripple effect. And it also takes us actively choosing to look towards the good.

It has been so long since my last post. Life without my mother has been trying. My mother was a beautiful woman, full of joy, good sayings, and texted me almost every day with an encouraging message that always seemed to be exactly what my soul needed.

She didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear. She didn’t encourage me by filling me with empty words. She told me when I was wrong and always told me how I could be better. I didn’t have to ask her, she always provided her two cents, even when she knew I rather not hear it. Without being aware, my mother was molding me into a person who never becomes complacent. She wanted me to strive to be better, not necessarily the best, just not the same as the day before.

I don’t know where I stand today. I can’t tell you that I don’t have those days when everything feels so heavy and all I want to do is embrace my Mami. I can’t tell you my heart is not broken, still. I can’t tell you that the joy I experience today, will ever be the same as the joy experienced when she was still on earth. BUT, I can tell you that I have taken baby steps forward and that I am not standing still.

Every day I strive to be patient with my heart, to be gentle with my needs, and therefore kind to those around me. I found in these several months, that if I don’t check in with myself first thing in the morning and ask Jesus to help my heart be kind, it is easy to let disappointment and sadness overtake your day.

Your situation may be different, but your attitude and heart towards everything, is your choice. No event in your life can decide your response. It can’t tell you to be bitter. It can’t hold you back from growing. It can’t place you on permanent hold. You hold the answer to your situation. I stood still, and although my steps forward can be considered minuscule, I am no longer standing still.

XO