talkin’n’sendin’ thought seeds

Hope everything is roaring off to a great start for you in this wondrous New Year of 2013! Yesterday was 1.3.13, and much as I tried to get to write a post on that day, I’m happy I’m here today to do one. Life is busy, for all of us.

I want to briefly touch on my feeling very strongly that, in order to make significant change, whether in a person’s own life or with human civilization as a whole, we have to start by conversation.

Here in St. Augustine, Florida, my hometown, we’ve just begun doing this in the area of spreading compassion! Our group meets once a month. Write me if you want to know more about it, how, where, when, format, etc.

Our first meeting (1.2.13) was well attended, and during the course of talking about compassion it struck me for the first time how many people want to know more about how to embrace loving compassion and kindness in their own lives. So they showed up — either by invitation from an e- list sent around, or seeing an ad someone (not me) placed in our local newspaper — to learn more about compassion. Surprisingly, more folks than I ever suspected felt this way, expressed total frustration with our world, especially surrounding environmental issues. That it was “too late” to do anything. That it was too hard to be compassionate in face of a society that doesn’t cultivate heartfelt touches between its citizens. That they’d come there to — just talk about their frustrations about the lack of compassion.

But as the conversation evolved, other people expressed how something as simple as a compassionate smile can change a person’s life. When one person gives another a passing smile, say, a stranger on the street, a store clerk, maybe it doesn’t matter to the receiver right at that moment. But later in that person’s day, the speaker said, it just might make a difference. Maybe the effort of one person’s smile, like the effort of our group sitting around and discussing compassion and love and how to change our world for the better — just might make a difference.

And I believe this difference appears in ways we can never predict. But — every action has a reaction. Every bit of love and compassion, even a smile, counts! So start smiling, friends, and start talking about compassion to your friends, your family, even a stranger.

Just as a smile can uplift a person’s spirit, perhaps turn around someone’s mood, influence a decision, save a life, even — talking about our human society changing to a more positive way is the first step to all of us taking real action that will effect long-lasting change. This is the beginning of transformation. It starts with a thought, a smile, a conversation.

I think I’ll do a special post about how to set up this type of discussion group, “TalkWalkCompassion” … along with step-by-step directions for the (ever-altering) host, and how to get the conversation rolling along. If anyone wants these instructions before I get a chance to post them (I’m still busy with the final edit of my book Global Bliss NOW) please email me at dearlordflea(at)gmail.com

Many blessings to All of You, and stay … in the Light!

your pal Lord Flea