Wisdom Wednesday

"I expect to pass this way but once; any good therefore that I can do or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now." -- Etienne de Grellet

Selena Gomez by Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold for Elle Mexico, August 2011

I'm no saint; I'll admit that now, but if there's one thing I know, it's that people will always remember the way you make them feel. I have my faults and I definitely have been one to spit some fire in my day, but for some time now, I've worked hard at thinking before speaking. And this I have learned, if not from my own past actions, then certainly from the actions of others. I am still surprised that people can be so cruel to one another, and sometimes I just don't understand. Maybe it's because I have made a conscious effort to rid my life of toxicity, but am I really that naive in wishing that all people  practice a bit more compassion? I still hope the answer to that is no. Time and time again, one of the most important life lessons I have ever learned has proven to be that we must treat each other with kindness. Words hurt, and when we sharpen them like darts and aim for the heart, the victim rarely forgets that feeling. We're all the same in that we know how it feels to hurt. So why do we try to make others hurt too? While it's easy to say sorry after the fact, it's not so easy to rewind and try to take back words once they've already been said. Life is hard as is. One thing that I believe shouldn't be so hard is treating others with the same kindness we hope to have in our lives. After all, you catch more flies with honey, than you do with vinegar. So, as my father often reminds me, let's take time to be sweet to one another.