Right outside our apartment there is a distinctive smell. While there is no visual evidence of a leak, the unseen indications point to a leak and contaminated water. On one hand, I am not sure why it has not been picked up by the maintenance staff. On the other hand, if one was not looking for it, or thinking about the air s/he breathed, it would have likely gone on unnoticed.
As I considered the soft dusty dawn this morning, I realized how many individuals missed the experience. Drawn curtains, sleeping through the time, and other natural barriers also prevented others from picking up the experience.
If two observations so obvious to me but not to others were being missed, how many things do I miss?
An old lesson resurfaced on the insidious way unkind words of all forms permeate one’s life. It is almost too easy to be sarcastic and mean, especially under the pretense of humor. The way one describes another, the tone and content of one’s response, and accusations can used for great harm. In response, who defends the innocent? Do I hear and response to a call to action?
When I reflect with an open heart, I can see and feel the hurtful words in many casual conversations. At times, they are coming from me! It is as if we have collectively forgotten how important care and kindness is to living and community. In letting the pain caused and received touch my heart, my resolve to break the cycle is restored and strengthened.
Learning to practice care and kindness begins with our words and actions. One is either practicing for good or sliding into the darkness of the psalmist observation. “They practice the sharp rhetoric of hate and hurt, speak venomous words that maim and kill.” (Psalm 140.03)
Even with intent, there will be leaks in one’s practice. Having lived through a couple recently, I hear the siren call to practice love in and with every moment. In responding to that call in each moment, I rediscover hope, restoration, and shared opportunities.
