“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” ― Plato

It is December, and oh, how the television and radio stations and mainstream media tell us to be joyful, because the Christmas season is the happiest time of the year.  TV commercials take us into a perfectly decorated house and wake us up with a message of love for family disguised as a cup of coffee; every Christmas commercial child  has straight teeth and curly hair, all smiles, no tears, and perfect health and behavior. No one is sad, lonely, or in medical distress or financial need.

Would that it were so.

In the real world, where most of us live outside the television box, I believe that we really want to be happy, although it is sometimes very difficult.  I have written before that I choose to be happy each day since Scott died. I will admit that deciding to be happy is sometimes a daunting task, especially around the holidays, surrounded by memories of Thanksgivings and Christmases past, moments that will never be again. 

I speak from my heart when I ask you to be kind this season, even kinder than usual.  Although many people may look "normal" on the outside (whatever "normal" is in our unique and diverse American culture), the burdens of grief and strife do not always show.  I have always wished for a kind of x-ray vision, the ability to see into people's hearts.  If I could use the power of this x-ray vision, I could see so many feelings: the grief in the heart of a young woman who just lost a baby; the stress of a husband who just discovered his wife has cancer; the strife of a caregiver dealing with a sick child and a parent with Alzheimer's; the despair of the man who lost his job; the sadness of the parents who have to choose between food and heat for their family for the month, or Christmas gifts for the day.  I am not sure how I would be able to help all of these people, but sometimes just a kind word and a voice of caring concern can be uplifting.  Our world would be so much better if we could see the battles our fellow human beings are fighting by looking into their hearts, instead of at their clothes.  I actually believe that the human touch, the act of caring, can sometimes even outweigh a monetary contribution.  Life is about CONNECTIONS, and if you personally have the ability to connect with another person about feelings, the exchange is priceless.  Not only does it validate each of your feelings, it connects the two of you in a way that will be remembered and cherished; indeed, it will become a topic of conversation and reflection.    

In a world where there are so many uncertainties:  ISIS, world peace, the price of gasoline, the stock market, and global terrorism, the most important connections we can make are those we make with one another.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”  ― Plato 

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Rittman Publishing, LLC

Visit www.dederittman.com for more teaching ideas in Dede's new book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER.  

Dede retired from 33 years of coaching golf.  Here are the links to two complimentary articles about Dede, as a coach and a teacher. 

http://blog.triblive.com/ipreps/2014/10/07/life-lessons-from-the-bunny-te

acher/ 

http://sportstown.post-gazette.com/north-allegheny/49649-golf-beloved-educator-coach-dede-rittman-retires-as-north-allegheny-boys-coach 

https://www.amazon.com/author/dederittman