Skating Uphill - February 2021
Living a Healthy Lifestyle
“If you cannot hear your heart song,
maybe you need to pay more attention
to your surroundings.”
– The Uphill Skater –
Happy Feet is a movie I have watched with my grandson more than once. It is about a little penguin who has no heart song. We know, of course, that all penguins have a heart song, right? Anyway, this little guy opened his beak to sing like the other penguins and sounded like a dying toad. But, boy, could he dance! He is ostracized because he can’t sing, but in the end, he is accepted and embraced because he stuck with it and was true to himself.
Corny plot? Not really. It’s actually relevant in the times being what they are. Each one of us needs to listen carefully, to hear our own music.
Every day is a good day to stop and think about who we are, what we think, what we hold dear and what is worth standing up for. Values—I will even say Christian values—are our currency of value. How we spend that currency reflects what we hold in our hearts.
I value kindness. Good things we do for others enrich us. Doing kind things makes kindness grow. Kindness rubs off on people, too, as does good will. A friend dropped off nearly an apartment full of donations at a thrift shop where I volunteer. She, aged 77, had recently married a gentleman who is 83. Together, they had a bunch of stuff! She said to me, not how good it felt to get rid of things, but how good it made them both feel that these duplicate items would be used by people who needed them.
Which brings me to the next value—sharing. I do not necessarily mean getting rid of excess items, I mean sharing of yourself. Call someone who you have not chatted with for a while. Have a whole big conversation, and do not mention politics once. Talk about a good book you read, talk about a favorite recipe, talk about a beautiful sunset, talk about God, talk about literally anything good. Share your “good.” Call your pastor or local social service agency to see if there is a family who needs groceries. Share some magazines you have already read with a neighbor. We are all pretty shut in so any sharing of your time and conversations is welcome. Aren’t we all a bit lonely? Some more than others, so here is an opportunity not to be sad, but to be a person who shares in many, many, ways!
Last but certainly not least, my personal heart song is hope. As a Sunday school teacher, I tell my children what a mess Israel was in when Christ arrived on the scene. They were occupied by a foreign power (Rome), they were in the midst of battles within the Jewish faith, famine and over-taxation were everywhere. Times were just awful. So times may seem bad now, but when we look back at history, I think we should see with hope in our hearts that things will get better if we help to make it so.
We have talked about kindness, good will, sharing and hope. All of these things are there for each one of us. I happen to be a very committed Christian so I add faith to my list, but having the same kind of beliefs should not be important. What should be important is having the same values. Love, Judith
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Judith Lawrenson is a former Hilton Head Island resident who has a huge heart and is loved by all who meet her. She has served and volunteered with numerous charitable organizations while living in the Lowcontry making an impact wherever she went. She and her husband recently moved to the wild hills of West Virginia to be closer to grandchildren. Judith is an avid sailor, a retired reading resource specialist, and a children's TV host whose local show originated from the Boys and girls Club. Judith is also a long time seeker of healthy, happy living and a lifestyle dedicated to service to others balanced with love of God and love of self. Check out her BLOG www.skatinguphill.com for fun info, recipes and nutrition ideas, current updates on nearly everything in the world, and lots of comments and opinions.