Chicken Soup for the Soul

by Amy Newmark

  So, she called me. I was shocked. She’s not someone who likes talking on the phone. We talked for a while. She said she was in the area, so I asked her to stop by if she wanted. The funny thing is that we lived in a small town, so she was always “in the area.”

  We spent the rest of that day just hanging out in my back yard. I had a bountiful garden, so we picked fresh vegetables and ate them raw. I think we cooked something later that night.

  From that night on, we saw each other frequently. We were just friends enjoying each other’s company; we were trying to get to know each other better than before.

  Inevitably, we started talking about a possible future but knew we had to fix some things. When I saw the writing on the wall that we indeed could be fixed, I sent the broken snow globe to a shop in Colorado to be repaired.

  I’d hoped to get it back by Valentine’s Day. I had a speech and a romantic presentation laid out for her. I wanted to use the snow globe as a symbol for our failed marriage and how we both contributed to it but also as a symbol of how something so special could be repaired. Unfortunately, the repairs on the globe took longer than expected so I didn’t have it in time for Valentine’s Day.

  It turned out that we didn’t need the snow globe to symbolize our brokenness or our repairs. We made a decision to give our relationship another go while the repairs were still taking place.

  When I finally surprised her with the repaired snow globe, she was blown away. It looked brand new — better than ever. She had no idea that I had sent it off and had no idea that it could be salvaged. I did. I knew it could be fixed.

  Upon further review, it wasn’t perfect. The Statue of Liberty’s torch had broken off, but that was okay. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.

  We’ve been back together for more than two years. We’ve truly never been happier. We live in my family home, which sits on fifty-eight acres of land in the country near a river just two miles down the road from my mother. Her mother lives a whopping nine miles away. It’s quiet, and we love it. My late father was born in our house. It’s special. We’re in a good place, figuratively and literally.

  Speaking of babies, we have our own. Her name is Abigail. She was born seven and a half weeks early, in the back of an ambulance on Friday the 13th. Just your typical birth, I guess. She’s perfect in every way.

  When something is special and you know it, you don’t throw it away. You keep it. You hold onto it the best you can, and when the timing is right, you fix it.

  — Jody Fuller —

  A Little Birdie Told Me

  Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

  ~Vivian Greene

  Four days after my twenty-seventh birthday, I felt sad and empty. It wasn’t getting older that bothered me, but rather the point that I was at in my life. I was struggling financially, about to lose my house, and was facing unemployment. I had pounded the pavement every day in search of work, but I hadn’t received a call back. “It’s all going to be okay! I promise!” my best friend Meghan said on the phone when I cried and shared my worry.

  “How can you be sure?” I asked between sobs.

  “We’ve all had low points in our lives,” she said. “I always ask for a sign that everything is going to be okay. Trust me, it works!”

  I was hesitant to believe her. She was just trying to make me feel better, after all. And the last thing I wanted to do was depress her. “Okay, I’ll give it a try,” I promised before we hung up.

  “Good, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said. I disconnected, knelt beside my bed and bowed my head. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just started talking. “Please, show me a sign that everything is going to be okay. Let me be positive that whatever sign it is, it’s for me.”

  That night as I climbed into bed, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. For the first time in months, I slept soundly.

  I woke up the next morning, though, still feeling discouraged. When I collected the mail I found bills with the words URGENT in big, red letters on the envelopes. I remembered what Meghan had said, and I whispered, “Show me a sign! Please! Anything to let me know it’s going to be okay!”

  I walked around to the back of the house when a flurry of motion suddenly caught my eye. On the ground near the corner of the shed, I saw a tiny baby bird. I put down the mail and stopped in my tracks. I had no idea what to do. Should I pick it up? Shouldn’t I? I couldn’t just leave it there alone and stranded. Thoughts raced through my mind, and my brain finally sprang into action. I went to the shed and fished out a pair of gloves, a cardboard box, and some clean rags. I picked up the tiny bird and gently placed it in the box. “It’s going to be okay,” I said out loud and looked around for a nest, but there wasn’t one that I could see. I remembered hearing that if one touches a bird, its mother won’t come back for it, so I prayed that I had done the right thing.

  I brought the bird into the house and flipped through the phone-book to find an animal rescue. I called one after another until I was finally connected with an agent. “I found a baby bird in my yard, and I think it might be hurt!” I said to the woman on the other end.

  “Where is the bird now?” the woman asked.

  “It’s in my kitchen in an old shoebox on the counter,” I answered.

  “It may take some time before we can send someone out. There’s only one person on duty at the moment, but we’ll send him as soon as we can.”

  “What should I do in the meantime?” I asked nervously. I knew nothing about birds or how to care for them.

  “It sounds like the bird is in good hands for now. See you in a bit.”

  I gave her my address, and she disconnected. I turned my attention back to the bird. “I guess it’s just you and me for a while,” I said. I stuck out my finger and gently stroked his feathers. “You’ll be okay. Help is coming soon,” I said. All of a sudden, it hit me. I was telling the bird exactly what I needed to hear. Tears flowed down my cheeks, and I knew that finding this bird was my sign that everything was going to be okay.

  A few hours later, the animal-control officer came and took the bird into his care. “You did a great job,” he said, smiling. “This little fella has a broken wing. We’ll get him fixed up and set him free.”

  Two days later, my phone rang, and I received a job offer that would allow me to cover my bills and more. I called my best friend, thanked her for her advice, and told her about the little bird. From that day on, I knew that everything was going to be okay.

  — Lacey L. Bakker —

  The Right Dream

  The clearer you are when visualizing your dreams, the brighter the spotlight will be to lead you on the right path.

  ~Gail Lynne Goodwin

  After working for nearly a decade at the same dead-end job with no advancement and no pay increases, I was contemplating leaving the profession for good when I got a job offer I couldn’t pass up. I was offered the position of Office Manager for a struggling company that had been operating at a loss for over a year. My job would be to organize the office, hire and fire as needed, and help turn a losing operation into a profitable one. The owner knew that would be no easy task and because of same, he offered me a salary I had only dreamed of, paid vacation, sick leave and a 401K. Since my current job offered zero benefits, it took me only two seconds to accept.

  I had colleagues in the business who were willing to come aboard for the benefits alone, and with the owner’s permission, hired friends and family (including my husband) who shared the same vision I did: to make the firm the biggest and best in the business.

  When we became profitable, I was promoted to State Manager with a substantial salary increase. I managed two offices with forty-four employees working in five separate departments, with plans to open a third office on the drawing board.

  As sometimes happens when one goes from rags to riches, as our income increased, so did our spending. My husband and I moved from our small apartment to a
large, beautiful home near my office. Since the job entailed a considerable amount of entertaining, our house was filled to overflowing with high-end quality furniture which I had purchased on the installment plan to improve my credit rating. We had two beautiful cars in the driveway.

  By all appearances, we were living the American Dream.

  I’ll never forget the Friday that I was walking around the office, looking forward to the weekend, and encountered our company attorney. He wordlessly handed me a sealed envelope.

  The letter inside was brief. It stated that due to the recent downturn in the economy, the company had reorganized and my position had been eliminated. Effective immediately, I was to leave the premises.

  When I looked up after reading it, I noticed that seven other employees had been given the same envelope — including my husband.

  The aftermath was devastating. We got new jobs, but in a different profession and only making minimum wage. We were forced to move out of our house into a tiny apartment. The furniture and one of our cars were repossessed.

  Even worse than the loss of our possessions was the loss of self-esteem. Somewhere along the way, I had equated my identity with my job; i.e. since I had such an important job, then that made me important. And somewhere along the way, I measured personal success by how many big and expensive things I owned; the more possessions, the more successful I was. Without that important job and without all those possessions, I thought of myself as unimportant and unsuccessful.

  The sudden loss of our jobs was heartbreaking but as with most misfortunes, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It forced us to come to a complete stop and analyze what we really wanted out of life and what we needed to do to get there.

  We had sacrificed time with our friends, families and even each other.

  We realized we had worked 24/7, 365 days a year to keep that company afloat and profitable. We had sacrificed time with our friends, families and even each other to advance in a corporate world that in the end, didn’t appreciate, deserve or value our efforts. We had missed important births, funerals, graduations and weddings.

  It’s been years now since we both lost our jobs. And our lives did change — for the better.

  Now, our home is modest but fully paid for. We don’t have a lot of things that need dusting and maintenance — only the necessities. We don’t finance or use credit cards anymore. If we don’t have the cash, we don’t buy it.

  Now I can honestly say my husband and I are truly living — and enjoying — the American Dream.

  — Pam Phree —

  Make a Difference

  Mindfulness Matters

  Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.

  ~Jon Kabat-Zinn

  My great-grandfather inspired me to make a positive difference in the world. He was a very mindful person, and he taught me about positive thinking. He used to say things like “Think well to be well,” and “Every day, we have a new choice to make, so choose to be happy.”

  Most of all, Grandpa Jack was always kind. He believed that a smile is not just a smile. It’s a road to peace, one that kids can learn in pre-kindergarten, and something that can change the world. And he taught me that if we smile, even if we don’t feel like it, our bodies get a positive signal from our brains, and the smile comes true! Grandpa knew then what scientists have since proven: Smiling is contagious.

  When Grandpa Jack passed away, I wanted to honor him by teaching his messages of positivity, kindness, and happiness to other kids. I believe that the key to ending violence is teaching kids to be mindful when they’re young. That’s why I started the Wuf Shanti Children’s Wellness Foundation, to teach kids to live a healthy and happy life, using his wisdom.

  Wuf Shanti is a dog character that teaches mindfulness, social and emotional learning, kindness, and positivity to kids from three to ten years old. Wuf Shanti has produced seven books; a free mobile app with signature games; and 100 videos, which have run on local PBS stations, the Children’s TV Network (the station in children’s hospitals across the nation), Adventure to Learning (health and fitness video programming in 25,000 schools) and Kidoodle.TV (safe streaming network for kids).

  In my Wuf Shanti dog costume, I traveled to schools and children’s hospitals to visit the kids and share our message with them. When Wuf would walk into the hospitals and meet the kids, especially the kids who had cancer — many of them bald from treatment or hooked up to tubes — they’d forget all that for a few minutes. They would smile and run up to Wuf to hug him, dance, or give a high-five.

  Parents would cry with joy at seeing their kids smiling and happy. It had an impact on me. I felt sad seeing them like this, but happy about how my being there was helping their lives, even for a few minutes. It made me realize how good my life is and how so many people need help to be happier.

  One time, my little sister was crying, and I was able to share Grandpa Jack’s message. I told her that she had a choice to make. She could choose to be upset about not getting what she wanted, or she could choose to be happy for what she did have. About five minutes later, I overheard her calming herself down by repeating “think well, be well,” while tapping her fingers one at a time against her thumb, one of the exercises Wuf Shanti teaches. You don’t realize how much of an impact you’re making until you witness a five-year-old control her own temper tantrum and bring positivity back into her life.

  I’ve used my grandpa’s teaching often. For example, when I became a teenager, I got self-conscious when some of my friends teased me about being a dog character. So, I did what Grandpa taught me to do: I laughed. They stop teasing you if they see it doesn’t bother you.

  And I took action by expanding our curriculum for older kids, ages eleven to seventeen (minus the dog character). My mission is to provide kids and teens with coping tools so they grow up less depressed and anxious. I want them to become happy, peace-loving adults who solve their problems in productive ways. I consider these techniques to be life skills. My goal is to get these mindful, social-and-emotional-learning programs into schools across the country as part of their core curriculums.

  We live near Parkland, Florida and the tragic shooting that happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. That made me want to do even more, so I founded the Kids’ Association for Mindfulness in Education for teens to collaborate and figure out ways to work together to make the world a better place. I also founded the international online Mindful Kids Peace Summit for middle schools and high schools. More than fifty subject-matter experts spoke about diversity, kindness, anti-bullying, communication, mindfulness, positivity, learning to interact with others, compassion, collaboration, positive psychology, and more.

  Through working on all of this, I’ve learned that even when you feel like giving up (like when you see yet another shooting on the news), you have to work even harder. I’ve also learned that collaboration is key. We can’t change the world alone. Even though I’m a mindful kid, I get sad or upset sometimes. Sometimes, I find it hard to put down my phone and look up, but I force myself to do it. I now tell people that if they can just practice mindfulness for five minutes every day, it can help them.

  Science has proven that mindfulness helps us relax, stay focused, do better in school and sports, stay healthy, heal faster, get along better with others, and live a happier life. There will always be stress in life that we’ll have to deal with, so we need to stop thinking negatively and start focusing on the positive. We need to connect with each other and smile. “Think well to be well,” as my grandpa would say. It can change our lives and change the world. It’s a lesson that I take to heart every day.

  — Adam Avin —

  Editor’s note: You can watch Adam’s TEDx Talk at https://www.tedxkc.org/adam-avin-kcyouth or on YouTube at https://youtu.be/2r6TWTqr8FM.

  Happy Thankful Thursday!

  The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

  ~Oprah Winfre
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  As part of my upbringing, I was taught to smile and say, “Thank you.” My mother always advised, “Don’t look mean. Smile and look or act like you’re happy!”

  We all have our dry seasons, but they don’t stay that way.

  Years after my mother passed away, when social media was becoming a new phenomenon, I decided to publicly express why I was thankful. I would share a motivational message that could touch others at least once a week. My favorite day became “Thankful Thursday” on Facebook. It made me happy to share in a manner that the introvert in me probably would not use if I were in public view. So, for more than six years, I’ve written weekly messages to share via social media. Here is a sample of some of my Thankful Thursday thoughts:

  • If you do more than just exist, you will not only make a positive change in your life, you will also change the life of someone else in the world. Happy Thankful Thursday! Be a life-changer! (11-19-11)

  • Even though I initially settled, something greater was offered. God knows what’s best and HE delivers! Happy Thankful Thursday! (5-3-12)

  • I have decided that I’d rather host a “thank you party” over a “pity party.” All things happen for a reason, and perhaps it was not my season… yet! As it is often stated, we can turn lemons into lemonade. There is no sugar in pity, but oh how sweet it is to be thankful! Have a blessed Thankful Thursday! Enjoy your party! (9-6-12)

  • I was driving to work this morning in a sleepy, dreary-type mood. Still feeling a void and not even realizing that I had driven miles without noticing the streets. Have you ever wondered how you got somewhere so quickly? It seemed as if my life was like the cold ground, with dried brown grass and no leaves on the branches. Then, I saw one little tree that was as green as could be. It reminded me that in a few weeks the season is going to change, and everything around me will have vibrant color. Life is going to wake up! So, that is what I needed to do. We all have our dry seasons, but they don’t stay that way. Therefore, I am so thankful that there are brighter days ahead! Have a blessed Thankful Thursday, and cheers to your brighter days! (3-14-13)