Today as I sat in the airport watching the silent news up on the departures board, all I could see were trucks and trucks of hay bales crossing Australia.
It seemed as though 50 truck loads of donated hay was making its way across the country to help farmers in NSW whose crops and families are suffering in the midst of a drought.
As I sat there eating my sushi,
I became overwhelmed and a sob rode its way up into my eyes and leaked out the sides.
I sniffed and wiped my eyes repeatedly, trying not to break down in tears like a mad person.
There was just so much kindness and love in such a simple act, somehow my eyes couldn’t handle it.
There are so many opportunities to notice kindness and love all around us all the time.
But we often miss them because we’re striving to find love in different ways.
When I was single all I wanted was to find a partner who’d love me. When I’ve been lonely, I’ve desperately wished for friends who’d love me. I know many people are struggling to have a child and pinning all their happiness on it.
When I’ve been unhappy I’ve thought about all the things I need to tick off the happiness checkboxes –
a partner, closer friends, more money, more success, nicer clothes.
But when we try to look to society to tell us how to feel happy and how to feel love, when we desperately seek what we feel is “missing”, we miss what’s right here in front of us:
Love in all the little things.
Love when we smile at someone on the street who looks sad. Love when 50 trucks of donated hay makes its way across the country. Love when your dad gives you advice on how to make a wooden spoon.
Happiness when we savour the warmth of a cup of tea in the morning, happiness when we snuggle into our sheets in the evening, happiness when we watch our grape vine sneak its way across the balcony day by day.
I’m not saying we need to give up on finding love and happiness in the ways society tells us to- but if you are striving to find something,
if your mind tells you that something is missing and you can’t be happy until you get it…
Don’t listen.
Bring your attention into the moment and notice all the tiny bits of goodness around you.
Right now.
