The Daily G.I.F.T. from The GratiDude

I remember all you kind kids and I forgive you bully assholes, too.

www.grateful4.org

Gratitude

Intention

First

Things

The G.I.F.T. Today

Grateful: to be improving in my patience and seeing incremental progress and finding balance between BIG DREAMS and small steps.

Intention-never lose sight of the beauty all around me today

First-get name of cleaner from Violas

Things-NGF check in

Morning Platitude from The GratiDude

There is no statute of limitations on my loyalty.

If you were good to me back in 1973 that’s good enough for me.

It’s an interesting period for me in my healing journey because only recently have I gotten back on Facebook and reconnected with characters from my childhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

It is such a surreal experience to have in my consciousness the names and faces of people from Eberwhite elementary school for the first time in decades. Not in years, but in decades that I would allow my memories and thoughts to drift back to those vulnerable years that precluded a lot of the catastrophe that was the demise of the nuclear family that I knew as a young child.

Its almost as if kids were frozen in time, like Beth Donnelly and Kelly Petrock, to name a few folks from my 70s childhood, were thawed out on Facebook for me or something like that.

The reality is obviously they were alive and living their lives the entire time.

I was the one that had checked out, not them, because I couldn’t handle the triggering that would happen when I thought back to my early years.

The people we met before the age of 12 were people that knew us during the time when our connection to our higher self was still attainable less distant through social programming and learned behaviors. Our little heads and gray matter and brains were still very much forming and finding their shape and final hard wirings through elementary school, according to modern science.

In some ways, these folks know the real us more than we might even remember the real us.

The impact of kindness on others can last for a significant period of time, depending on the act itself and the recipient’s situation, but a single act of kindness may not have a lasting effect for days or weeks; it can create a positive ripple effect, influencing not only the immediate recipient but also those around them, potentially impacting their mood and behavior for longer periods.

Key points about the lasting impact of kindness:

Positive emotions:

Acts of kindness can trigger the release of feel-good hormones like oxytocin, which can boost happiness and well-being in the recipient, leaving a positive feeling that can linger.

“Pay it forward” effect:

When someone experiences kindness, they are more likely to extend that kindness to others, creating a chain reaction of positive interactions.

Building relationships:

Consistent acts of kindness can strengthen bonds and improve relationships between individuals, leading to a sustained sense of connection and support.

Psychological impact:

Kindness can enhance self-esteem and feelings of self-worth in the recipient, which can have long-term positive effects on their mental health.

Factors influencing the duration of kindness’ impact:

Meaningfulness of the act:

A thoughtful, personalized act of kindness is likely to have a more lasting impact than a generic gesture.

Recipient’s emotional state:

Someone experiencing a tough time may be particularly affected by an act of kindness.

Relationship between giver and receiver:

Kindness from a close friend or family member can have a deeper impact than kindness from a stranger.