Swim to the Sky

07/17/2022

"Sometimes we forget how magical it is just to wake up in the morning.
Take a breath.
Wriggle your toes, and open your droopy eyes.
Take a moment.
Be present.
Give gratitude first."
~Unknown

Artist: Jane Crowther, UK
Source: Naive Art Extraordinaire
https://charterforcompassion.org

03/29/2022

Day 16 of Compassion: Women Can Change the World

As people around the world recognize International Women’s Day, few would claim that women have achieved true parity. There’s still a long way to go before women see anything near equity, even as countries have made slow but steady progress on closing the gender gap in education, economics, heal...

03/29/2022

Day 15 of Compassion: Become a Better Leader

"Great leaders are who they say they are, ad they have integrity beyond compare. Vulnerability and humility are hallmarks of the authentic leader and create positive, attractive energy."

As I read through Day 15's message, I was a little surprised that authenticity wasn't at the foundation of the triangle, a trait that is at the root of who we are. It is a trait that many managers/supervisors are hesitant to show because they feel it is too personal. Yet, in my experience, it is through being authentic that a leader demonstrates being human and humanity, builds trust, motivates employees, and creates an inclusive environment.

Being likeable will help you in your job, business, relationships, and life. I interviewed dozens of successful business leaders for my last book, to determine what made them so likeable and their companies so successful. All of the concepts are simple, and yet, perhaps in the name of revenues or t...

03/27/2022

Day 14 of Compassion: Empathy Muscle

When we see that kernel of compassion in our children, we want (and need) to cultivate it.

Summer offers a perfect chance to explore – ideas, places, experiences. Ideally, it’s a time for playing outside, slowing down, trying a new hobby, and more family time.  Among the “muscles” I like to exercise, when not as bound by classroom exigencies, are those that go beyond anything a s...

03/27/2022

Day 13 of Compassion: Service

We Serve To Discover Abundance: the radical shift from me to we.When you serve you discover that often the most important things you have to offer are not things at all. You start to uncover the full-range of resources at your disposal - your time, presence, attention - and recognize that the abilit...

03/27/2022

Day 12 of Compassion: Exam Wizardry

Exams are an unavoidable part of our academic and even professional life. The modern-day workplace with its constant demand for upskilling and updating resumes has made learning and consequently examinations, a continuous part of life’s journey. With three Masters-in-law degrees I have learned a f...

03/27/2022

Day 11 of Compassion: Benefits of Mindfulness

Charter for Compassion provides an umbrella for people to engage in collaborative partnerships worldwide. Our mission is to bring to life the principles articulated in the Charter for Compassion through concrete, practical action in a myriad of sectors.

03/23/2022

Day 10 of Compassion: Transform Your Day

"When action meets compassion, lives change!"

The journey for today has great resources to create a 6-minute morning routine to start your day! A moment for silence, positive affirmations, visualization, scribing, reading, and exercise.

Treat yourself well! You deserve it!

As a social worker, your day can be jam packed with visits, telephone calls and emergencies. This can make you feel swamped! However, you can make your day better by not rushing into a hectic day in the morning.

03/23/2022

Day 9 of Compassion: Happiness Practices

Today's journey has some amazing links for happiness and self-care relating to:

1. Take a few deep breaths
2. Call an old friend
3. Give someone a hug
4. Help a friend in need
5. Write a thank-you note
6. Sing in the shower ... or anywhere
7. Dance to your favorite song
8. Go for a walk in a beautiful place
9. Forgive someone
10. Talk to yourself in a kinder voice

What do you do to bring happiness into your life?

In addition to all the fear and chaos it has wreaked, COVID-19 has changed the way we think about our health. Thanks to the psychological, and even physical, impact of protracted quarantines and shutdowns, many of us have come to realize that feeling healthy is more than the absence of disease. We f...

03/21/2022

Day 8 of Compassion: Prayer for the Earth - An Indigenous Response to These Times

Today's post through the Charter for Compassion has a short video with Stan Rushworth, an elder of Cherokee descent.

There is also a link to Native Land Digital and a geolocation map. The mission of Native land Digital is to "create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources ..."

I learned that I grew up on Gabrielino Tongva land and currently reside on Wabanaki land.

In his lifetime Stan Rushworth, an elder of Cherokee descent who was raised by his grandfather, has seen a river die, animals disappear, and the proliferation of box stores. The devastation of climate change is not new to him - his elders have been telling him about it all of his life. The tradition...

03/21/2022

Day 7 of Compassion: Grow a Compassionate Neighborhood

"As we all struggle with the continuing upheaval wrought by the global pandemic, our neighourhoods have become more important than ever. Once again, we are being reminded that social cohesion grounded in compassion and mutual respect is the key to creating healthy, sustainable neighbourhoods."

"Ask yourself - How willing am I to commit to helping my local neighbourhood flourish?"

As we all struggle with the continuing upheaval wrought by the global pandemic, our neighbourhoods have become more important than ever. Once again, we are being reminded that social cohesion grounded in compassion and mutual respect is the key to creating healthy, sustainable neighbourhoods. The pa...

03/19/2022

Day 6 of Compassion: Peace Literacy

"Peace Literacy empowers us to protect the survival of our relationships, families, communities, nations, and the world ..."

Here are three questions to ponder today:

What if people were as well-trained in waging peace as soldiers are in waging war?

What if people were trained to address the root causes of problems rather than the symptoms?

What if we taught peace as a skill set, as a life-saving literacy, with as much rigor as we teach literacy in reading and writing?

What if we taught peace as a skill set, as a life-saving literacy, with as much rigor as we teach literacy in reading and writing?