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Give Yourself the Gift of Compassion

  • Writer: Patricia Faust
    Patricia Faust
  • Dec 20, 2022
  • 2 min read


This year continued to be extraordinary in that it has pushed us to our limits and then pushed even further. Now we are right in the middle of the Christmas holiday season and we expect ourselves to carry on like any other holiday. Where can we find the strength to celebrate and honor the spirit of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas?


The Gift of Compassion

Compassion allows us to be with the good and the difficult, thus giving ourselves the ability to approach life by turning toward it, not away from it. When we turn toward life, we can be informed by each new moment, and are then prepared to meet challenges with skill and experience joy with abandon.


That is the gift of compassion. Opening up and knowing that you have the strength and space to embrace whatever comes your way. So, in these hectic days of preparing for the holidays, notice how compassion shows up in your life- where it rises to the occasion and where it might need a little work with some effort.


Take this opportunity to see the dread, anger, resentment, outrage or fear as the product of collision between things unfolding in the world and our deeply held and cherished core of beliefs and ideals. When you feel outrage over the way some groups treat others in our society, it is precisely because you deeply value justice, fairness and compassion. (Hickman,S. 11/17/20 Mindful)


3 Ways to Bring Compassion into Focus

1. Open your heart. To connect more deeply with others, we must face the one person that we are hardest on: ourselves. There is nothing special you must do to deserve love.

2. Appreciate your community. When we remember what we share as human beings, as well as the beautiful ways we are different, we open ourselves up to compassion in a very powerful way. Mindfulness teacher Mirabai Bush invites us to remember that the people we encounter, even the difficult ones, are “just like me” – in this way we invite more empathy, compassion, and kindness into our lives.

3. Consider how you can serve the moment. Mindfulness teacher Michelle Maldonado asks us to be curious and open not only about what serves you – your self-care, and your capacity for resilience – but what wise actions you can take that can serve others.

(Hurlock, H. 12/9/2020 Give yourself the gift of compassion)


At the end of another challenging year, we must take notice of how we feel physically and mentally. Throughout all of the worry and angst we have experienced this year it is critical that we can get through this. We have the power to move our life forward. Through self-care and being compassionate to ourselves we have a fighting chance to improve 2023 starting from January 1. Believe in yourself and find strength in your compassion.





 
 
 

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   And suddenly it is May!! April turned out to be an extremely busy month and I was caught off-guard by the start of May. There are a lot of activities and celebrations that kick off May and start the Spring-Summer season. The 151st Running of the Kentucky Derby was May 3. It was a mudder this year. We had experienced consistent rain throughout April, and it hasn’t left the area. The horses in that race are incredibly beautiful even when they covered in mud! Sovereignty, a three-year-old colt was the winner!! In a move I applaud, the owner of this beautiful horse was asked if they were going to have him run in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown. This owner deferred his answer because he wanted to talk to his team, but most of all, he wanted to see how Sovereignty was doing. The Preakness is only a couple of weeks from the Kentucky Derby and the lure of winning the Triple Cown has resulted in some bad decisions about entering a horse that hadn’t recovered from the Derby. May 4, was the 27th Flying Pig Marathon. If you have been following me for a while, you would know that my husband Russ and I volunteered at the race, running a fluid station for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for 25 years. This race is amazing. Last year it was voted as one of the Best Marathons in the Country. I watched from the comfort of my dry home (still raining) and finally got to see what happens at the finish line. The stories of the runners were great! This race was the first time that the male winner had ever run a full marathon! The female winner had run many marathons, but this was the first time that she ran the Flying Pig! It sounded like she will be back next year because she said she was thinking while she was running that this was the most fun marathon, she had ever been in. (I can’t imagine even thinking while I was running a marathon!) Then there was an older woman who had just finished her 159th marathon! She was incredible! Next week she is on her way to New Zealand to run again! Everything these runners practice can be applied to maintaining a high-functioning brain. Of course, the lifestyle they practice is phenomenal for brain health. I teach about neuroplasticity and the power that we possess to change our brain. But to do that we must be dedicated to that change by repetitively and consistently challenging our brain. It is a marathon for brain health that we must live.

 

   May is Older Americans Month, and it is a time to recognize the contributions of older adults and highlight the positive impact they have on communities. The 2025 theme is “Flip the Script on Aging” encouraging individuals and communities to challenge negative stereotypes and celebrate the diverse experiences of aging. Celebrations often involve community events workshops, and activities designed to engage and connect older adults.

 

   I am booking online and in-person presentations for June. Topics are extensive. Contact me at patricia@myboomerbrain.com if you would like to discuss a presentation for an event or organization.Enjoy the renewal of May.

 

My very best, Pat

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