spreadyoursmile

Judith and her work colleagues were talking about the demise of their former boss Bill.

He had retired a few years ago but before that had worked for the company for over fifty years. He was notorious for being a workaholic.

He often worked very late and into the weekends when no one else would. Once when he was asked whether he loved his job that much he said that it wasn’t the job he loved but the money he earned.

‘He’s got so much wealth you know.. All those years, saving it all up. He didn’t like spending money, was quite stingy with it’.

‘What’s going to happen to all that money now? He has no family..’

Bill had worked hard throughout his life to earn money. But he hadn’t enjoyed the fruits of his labour or shared that money with others. And now it was too late for that.

Judith wished Bill had handled his money and possessions differently and reminded herself of the need to not just gain things but to give them away too.

Dear you,

There is so much focus on gaining things in this life but not enough on giving things.

Everyone seems intent on accumulating things – wealth, possessions, friends. Yet people are less willing to share things or give them away.

This may be due to the mentality that each person has to take care of their own needs first. This is true and if we don’t have the resources in the first place, we can’t share them with others.

Sometimes, we take this accumulation to extreme levels. Most of us have way more possessions than we could ever need. We have way beyond even what a human being needs in their lifetime to live.

But rather than realising this, sometimes we keep chasing new things. A newer model, a better brand, a shinier gadget.

Possessions have their place in our lives but let us ensure that they don’t end up possessing us. And let’s be generous with what we do have.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith had been struggling for a while. 

She had always been very particular about certain things. But recently, it had gotten to the stage that her OCD was preventing her from functioning daily. Her mind was always whirling with thoughts which made it very difficult to face each day. 

She felt like she had to just deal with it and push on.

Her friend was trying to convince her to ask for help. 

‘Why don’t you access some support?’

‘I don’t know.. I don’t want to’.

‘Is it because it’s to do with your mental health? Let me ask you, you know your yearly health check-ups, do you attend them?’

‘Of course’.

‘So you attend them and if they told you to lose weight or take medication, you would. So you would actively take steps to take care of your physical health. 

Why wouldn’t you do the same for your mental health?’ 

Judith was stunned.

‘I never thought of it that way’. 

Dear you,

The way we see mental health versus physical health can be poles apart. Physical ailments have come to be much more commonly and readily accepted. 

No one would blame you for having a headache but when it comes to having difficult thoughts, there can still be a lot of stigma and misunderstanding. 

Let me emphasise this point – there is NOTHING to be ashamed of if you’re struggling with your mental health.

There’s also absolutely nothing wrong with accessing support whether it be medication, therapy or other things.

In fact, reaching out and asking for help is a very brave step. It means that you are willing to acknowledge and accept what’s happening but also that you’re taking the initiative to improve things.

On this World Mental Health Day, I urge you to consider how your mental health is. I would also encourage you to be kind and considerate towards others who you know struggle with their mental health. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith was in the grocery store when she came across someone who seemed somewhat familiar. She couldn’t quite place her at first and Judith struggled to think of a name.

‘Judith, it’s me, Sophia’, the woman exclaimed.

Recognition dawned on Judith. Of course. They’d done a training course together a while back.

‘Oh hi, how are you?’

‘I’m good, Judith how are you? Such a shame what happened at the course but hope you’re alright’.

Judith felt a faint sense of embarrassment creeping in. They had studied for a course together but unfortunately Judith had not managed to complete it whereas Sophia had.

‘I’m alright, I’m better than alright. I’m happy with where I am now’. As Judith said these words, she realised she was being honest.

Not finishing the course had seemed like a massive disappointment at the time. But she had learnt many skills from it and she had other opportunities come up in her life afterwards. She had not spent her time dwelling on her past disappointment. 

‘Good on you’, smiled Sophia.

Dear you,

We all experience disappointments and failures in life. In fact, every day we are faced with a myriad of annoyances when things do not work out as we had planned or hoped.

We largely cannot control these things but what we can control is our response to this. As humans, we inevitably can feel strong emotions when faced with disappointments.

But if we let these emotions overwhelm us and consume us, then it’s much more difficult to move past the difficulties. We stay stuck and dwell on the negatives which can lead to resentment and bitterness towards life itself.

With each disappointment or apparent failure also comes a new opportunity. Things may not have worked out exactly as you envisioned but that’s not the end. If you stay positive and open, you’ll soon see that things worked out well in a different way.

Disappointments are also a great learning experience. We learn more from them than if everything went smoothly all the time. What we learn helps us in the future when faced with further disappointments.

So today, I invite you to stop dwelling on any disappointments. I invite you to see them as opportunities for growth. And I invite you to stay hopeful and persevere for the times ahead.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith looked down at her black belt.

She had been learning martial arts since she was a child. It had taken her over two decades to finally achieve this accolade.

It had taken so much time mainly because she nearly gave up on it several times.

It was difficult fitting it in with everything else.

It meant she had to get up early on cold winter mornings. She had to attend sessions on weekends when she wanted to relax. She had also had her fair share of painful injuries to face.

However, she had kept persevering. And now she was grateful that she had.

Now all that mattered was her achievement, if she had stopped along the way she would never have made it to this moment.

Dear you,

Life can get difficult and we can feel like giving up on things.

Giving up is a fairly easy option. However, the determination to carry on is what will eventually reap its rewards.

When we take up commitments that are long term, it is inevitable that we have to work at it for quite a while before anything comes to fruition. However, we are so used to instant gratification that this can seem arduous. We want to see immediate results otherwise we get discouraged.

Sometimes, we cannot even see any reward or benefit to the things we have to endure. But in hindsight, we discover how much we learnt from it and how it improved our character.

It might be something small or it might be something very crucial but today if there’s something you’re tempted to give up on, I urge you to keep going. Many years down the line, you’ll be glad you kept going. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

It was that time of year again, back to school time.

Judith’s cousins complained every year about going back to school.

She laughed and said, ‘Make the most of school. You’ll miss it when you leave’.

Her cousins thought this was ridiculous and told her they just wanted to grow up and be an adult.

Judith was the same when she was their age. But now that she was apparently an adult, she felt differently.

Dear you,

Our education is often something we can take for granted. We all have had different experiences of our time at school but learning and education isn’t confined to the classroom. 

Sometimes it can seem like it’s all one big competition. There is a lot of importance placed on doing well at school but if the standards being measured are just of academic success, that’s not showing the full picture. 

We all have different talents and skills. Ideally, school and further education fosters our talents and helps us to grow. 

When we think of education, we have to also appreciate that we are constantly learning and that learning never stops. 

It’s never too late to study about something you’re actually interested in rather than what you feel like you have to study. 

As another academic year starts, I hope those of us in education can have a renewed appreciation of its importance.

And I hope those who have left education can remember that learning goes on. We can all continually pursue knowledge and expand our understanding. 

We can learn more and experience more which ultimately leads us to become better people. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

https://www.theyoungcatholicwoman.com/archivescollection/am-i-not-enough-a-meditation

Judith didn’t understand how some people had such a relaxed attitude towards life. 

She had always been ambitious and hardworking which she thought were good qualities. However, recently it was proving to be immensely stressful. 

The thing was, there was always more to be done. A never ending list of tasks whether it be at home or work. 

This meant she hardly had any time to rest. When she did have a few hours, she felt guilty and wandered back into doing things.

She knew she had to slow down her pace in life though and spend more time taking care of herself. She hoped she could do this soon before it was too late. 

Dear you, 

There is a temptation to keep working for an imaginary future yet neglect the gift of life we are given each and every day. We have all been told to work hard but when that overtakes our life, we lose our sense of purpose and end up as slaves.

Rest has a very important part to play in our lives. Our culture glorifies busyness and productivity meaning that rest could be seen as unnecessary or even a luxury that we cannot afford. 

However, without rest, we run the risk of damaging one of the most valuable things we have – our health. Money comes and goes and by nature is fleeting. Our health has much more value than that.

For example, if you are not healthy you are unable to do things for yourself but also for the benefit of others. The time we take to rest if used in the right way can help us to maintain and enhance our health.

So today, take a moment to evaluate if you are making enough time for rest. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

The following is an article I wrote based on a talk about Theology of the Body. This is a profound teaching by St. John Paul II that has been life changing for me. I hope you’re able to read and find out more about it.

http://eng.kairos.global/?p=10218

The news was on in the staffroom at work.

Judith was watching with trepidation as she saw signs of struggle and conflict in another part of the world.

One of her colleagues sighed loudly and asked, ‘Why are we watching this? It has nothing to do with us.’

Everyone turned their eyes towards him.

There was a momentary silence and then someone shrieked, ‘How can you say that? Show some humanity.’

‘Well, he’s kind of right isn’t he…’

‘Yeah, why should we get involved….’

‘But it could be us next…’

Judith looked around bewildered as different voices joined the discussion. She didn’t know what to say and what side she was on.

She wondered why there were even different sides when they were all human.

Dear you,

We’re all different. But we’re also all much more similar than we perhaps realise.

Even if we live thousands of miles away from someone, there are many things that bind us together.

We want to be loved. We care about our families and friends. We want to do good in the world and make a positive contribution.

There are obviously individuals who do not fall into this category but that would be the minority and not the majority.

Too often we create barriers and borders that don’t need to be there.

If someone is suffering, that is a problem because they’re a human being just like you and me who deserves to be respected.

We largely take our freedom and human rights for granted. But that doesn’t mean we should just ignore others who don’t have those rights.

There should be no distinction between ‘their problem’ and ‘my problem’. If we are to be truly humane, we must realise that it’s ‘our problem’. 

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊

Judith was looking through old photographs and smiling. She came across one of her and her friend Ingrid on the last day of high school.

She remembered the day well. After all the farewells, her and Ingrid had headed at their usual hangout, the park.

‘Why can’t we just be happy with what we have?’, Ingrid had asked in a serious tone.

‘I don’t know…’, Judith had confessed.

‘Everyone at school telling us we need to do this and do that when we grow up. As though getting a good job and getting a good house will make us happy. But will it?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘It might make us happy for a while. But soon we’ll want another better job, we’ll want a better house.’

‘So what are you saying Ingrid?’

‘I’m just saying, we should learn to be happy with what we have. Otherwise we’ll never stay happy’.

Dear you,

Our notions of what makes us happy has probably changed throughout our lives. However, we can all agree that happiness is something we would all like to attain.

Having certain goals and aiming for achievements is important. However, we can easily get lost in always wanting more and more but never pausing to appreciate what we already have.

There’s many things around us that we don’t have to strive for. Our family, our freedom, nature. These things are just gifts for us waiting to be received.

But too often we are busy focusing on what we do not have. When was the last time you stopped to appreciate the flowers or look at the stars?

Whilst you’re busy trying to be happy, don’t forget to be happy with what you already have.

Thank you for reading. And don’t forget, spread your smile 😊