Fortune Cookie Friday: Be Willing

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash

Welcome back to Fortune Cookie Friday! I hope you’ve all had a good week and are ready for a nice weekend. I’m excited about my weekend plans, as I’ll be taking my first-ever writing course. I’ll let you know how it goes, but I'm really looking forward to it!


Before we get to today’s fortune, I wanted to provide an update to last week’s post about Soul Wounds and Sacred Revelations. For those of you local to the Pittsburgh region, author Deneen Joyner asked me to share the news that she will be doing a book signing at Barnes and Noble at Settlers Ridge on March 30th from 1-4 p.m. I highly recommend meeting Deneen in person if you can! If you want to read her book electronically, it’s available from a variety of sources, including here:



Okay, announcement aside, let’s get to today’s fortune, shall we? This one is a reader submission that came in just this week, and it fits in so perfectly with the theme of the last two fortunes we had (Success; Failure) that I’m going to trust the timing and share it today:

“You must be willing to act today in order to succeed.”

I like to think of this fortune as a reminder that “there’s no time like the present,” as the old adage goes. And I think it's fair to say that we can apply this concept to just about anything, not just life’s “big stuff.”

Keep reading for three examples about how you can apply this type of thinking. Feel free to utilize these ideas in any area of your life.

Example 1: Chores & Daily Life
I can look around my house and feel overwhelmed by how much laundry I have to do. If I'm honest, it’s a lot! Did I mention our washing machine broke after burst water pipes in our house a couple of weeks ago? No? It rained inside our house, and then I couldn’t wash all the wet towels because the washer broke. I got those handled at the laundromat til our washer got fixed, but now I’m a bit behind on the rest of the laundry! I feel like I am always playing catch-up, which can feel a little overwhelming.

(image courtesy clipartpng.com)

Now...I can sit here continuing to feel overwhelmed, or the next time I get up from this chair, I could just go throw in a load and start the machine up. But I have to be willing to do that, right?

It’s not that big a deal, but as anyone who has a lot on their to-do list can probably relate, sometimes one more thing to do can feel like one-too-many things. But the nice thing about doing laundry is it can do itself, for the most part, so I should really just get on with it.

(Hang on, BRB—gonna go throw in a load of laundry!)

Great! Now my laundry is getting done. I just had to be willing to act on it.


Example 2: Life Goal
Now, let’s say there’s a bigger goal you want to achieve. What steps are you going to take to get there? Are you willing to explore this?

Let me just make up an example out of thin air, since I hear this one a lot in my line of work: you want to publish a book.

Are you going to sit in the land of “Someday I want to…” or starting today, are you willing to take the steps you need to take to get that book published?

You can be doing something every single day to get the “published author” title after your name. Want some inspiration?

• Brainstorm your book idea with a basic notebook and pen ; you can even use workbooks or project notebooks made specifically for writers, if you think they'd help.

• You can take a writing class or join a writing support group in your local community.

• Start writing. Write every single day. Set word count goals. (500. 5,000. Doesn’t matter how many.)

• Read up on the publishing process so you know which direction you want to go in: self-publish or traditional publishing? What do you need to know about it?

• Reach out to people who will help you with your goal, such as: other writers to give you feedback and guidance on your work, beta readers, editor, proofreader, agent, etc. (You do know I’m an editor and proofreader, right? You've got one resource handled, at least.)

Do you see how quickly I jotted down some potential steps for that goal? It only took me a few minutes to do that. Once you've noted the steps, you can take action on them.

Example 3: Something You Want to Have
A few weeks ago, a friend who wasn't a crocheter expressed the desire to have a shawl. There's one she liked on Ravelry. I said to her, "Oh, you can TOTALLY make that yourself, and I can show you how."

I offered to do a "besties crochet-a-long" with her, where we would both buy the yarn and get started on it on the same day and do it together. I offered to be there for her every step of the way to answer questions.

I'm happy to say that she is now several repeats of the pattern ahead of me on this shawl!

I am so happy for my friend! She was willing to do something she had never done before in order to get the end result she wanted. She had faith she could do it, and she had the resources (me, the internet, YouTube) to help her when she had questions.

She hasn't crocheted anything more than a granny square before. She has never read a pattern. She hasn't touched a crochet hook in 20 years, but she is making herself a shawl! And all because she was willing to entertain the possibility that she could.

The Takeaway
So after reading these examples, are you inspired to get started on something you've always wanted to do? If so, what do you want to accomplish, and what steps are you going to take—TODAY—to get there?

Be willing to have an open mind. Be willing to act. Be willing to know that anything is possible. Be willing to have faith in yourself.

Be willing.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by what the steps may be, there’s help available to you. From groups on the internet to local meetup groups to friends and family to books and podcasts and YouTube videos on how to do just about anything...you will have the resources you need.

Whatever it is that you want to do, just start. 

What are you waiting for?

Drop me a comment and let’s talk about this! Tell me your goals and steps; maybe we can inspire each other or brainstorm!

Until next time,

💛🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

Book Review: Soul Wounds & Sacred Revelations

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

Hello everyone!

I thought I would do something a little bit different, today: I’m going to share my thoughts about a book I just finished reading, kind of like a personalized book review. I was positively affected by this inspirational book, and I think you’d get a lot out of it, too.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

The book is called Soul Wounds and Sacred Revelations by Deneen Joyner. If it sounds familiar to you, that’s because I briefly mentioned it in my post accepting the nomination for the Liebster Award.

Deneen Joyner is based here in Pittsburgh, and I had the pleasure of meeting her at a holiday craft market back in December at the Green Heiress Yoga Studio. When I met her, I was immediately struck by her warm and friendly nature. We talked for a few moments, and I found out that her book, Soul Wounds and Sacred Revelations, would be the featured Soul Cafe Book Club book for February.

Anyway, I bought Ms. Joyner’s book in the Kindle edition and hunkered down for some reading in preparation for the meeting on February 6th. I thought I knew what I was getting into based on the description, but to be honest, I had no idea! What I thought would be a light, inspirational read turned into some soul-searching of my own.

In her book, Ms. Joyner takes you through a journey that starts with staring at herself in the bathroom mirror as she contemplates ending her life. In her darkest hour in that bathroom, she had a choice to make: surrender herself to God in order to fully heal, or end it right there and then.

She tells her story so vulnerably, transparently, and beautifully. Her voice is warm, accessible, and friendly. You feel like you’re getting to know her as you read. There may be points in this book where you find yourself crying along with her, but you will also smile with her or pump your fist in the air and yell “YES!” when she makes a breakthrough. (I legit did this!)

You may even feel chills as something she says resonates.

But most of all, you may see yourself in her story.

At about halfway through, I realized that this book was giving me an actual road map to root out and deal with some deep-seated emotional pain that I’ve been carrying. Because we all do carry pain from our experiences with us, right? Some of us more than others. If you ask yourself, “What emotional pain am I carrying?” I bet you’ll find something in there.

Does it feel comfortable carrying that pain? 

I’ll be the first to raise my hand and say: sure, yeah, in some way, it does, because it’s been a part of me for so long. But I realize that I don’t have to live like that any more. While I've done a lot of healing in my life, there is always room for more. :)

As she writes, Ms. Joyner details the approach she took to finally confront the pain she’d been carrying and then progress her life forward without it. It’s a story of hope, renewal, forgiveness, love (for others and self), and being real with yourself. It’s about connecting your past to your present and becoming whole. It’s about stepping into your full realization in life instead of blindly “living” it.

After reading this book and sitting back and taking a deep breath, I’ve started some more soul work. I feel like some kind of soul archaeologist right now, digging into myself to get to the bottom of things. It’s like I’m meeting me all over again: Beth as a kid. Beth as a teen. Beth in her 20s. Beth in her 30s. And onward...

This is kind of deep, ya’ll!

If you want to read someone’s amazing, inspirational and uplifting story, then this is definitely the right book for you! Who knows, you may even find yourself on your own journey to your whole, healed self.

At the time of this writing, it’s free on Kindle Unlimited or very modestly priced if you buy it outright in either the Kindle edition, hard cover, or paperback. If you live in the Pittsburgh area and meet Deneen Joyner at some point, I bet she’ll even sign it for you.

I give it a 5 out of 5 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you read it, let me know what you think!

Until next time: Be Well. 💛🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

Fortune Cookie Friday: Failure

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

Greetings and Happy Friday to you all! Guess what today is? It’s the one-year anniversary of when I first started posting Fortune Cookie Friday posts! Here’s a flashback fortune cookie for you to savor.

So how’s your week been going? I’m not going to lie: I’ve had a week. You could classify it as one of THOSE weeks. You know how things tend to happen in threes? Boy, did they ever! Between burst pipes and broken appliances and unexpected car work, my attention was taken up by other things this week, so I apologize for the lateness of this post. That said, I’m giving myself some slack about it, because it’s all going to be okay, and you’ll see why, below.

Without further adieu, let’s get right to today’s fortune!

“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.”

One of the things that I think makes humans cool is our ability to adapt in a variety of settings!

This fortune cookie may be worded a little harshly, but I think it’s true. No matter how hard you have to work, or how many steps you have to take, or how many attempts you have to make:

KEEP TRYING. Don’t give up! Failure isn’t the end of the world, and it’s not something you should judge yourself on, either. If anything, it should goad you to learn and do more.

As humans, we are uniquely situated to always be learning, either from our own mistakes or from others. We flex. We adapt. We look at things in new ways. We change the rules.

We innovate. 

But we’re not perfect, and we’re not going to hit it out of the park right on the first try every time we try something, right?

So please, if you take only one thing away from today’s fortune, let it be this: if you’ve ever failed miserably at something...you are not alone, and YOU ARE NOT A LOSER.

Take these really basic examples:

Did you learn how to ride a bike? I bet you fell off that bike a few times in the process, right? (Yup, I sure did! Got pretty good at riding it, eventually.)

Did you learn how to ice skate? I bet you fell on your butt the first time you hit the ice, probably multiple times! (I totally did! I eventually became a figure skater.)

Or do you currently drive a car? It's something you don't even think about when you do it every day, but did you scare the you-know-what out of the person who was teaching you how to drive back when you had your learner’s permit? (Ask my dad how teaching me to parallel park went the first few times! AND I failed my driver’s test the first time I took it! But now I’m a really good driver.) (No, really, I am! *g*)

The point is: we all make mistakes. Failure isn’t a thing by which we should judge ourselves. It’s a crappy metric. We are geared to learn from our mistakes. We adjust, iterate, or tackle the problem from another angle, either until we succeed or we decide to change the game altogether.

Failure isn’t a measure of success. I mean, do you know how many successful people out there failed at first? If you don’t believe me, check out this article by Business Insider about 29 people who failed in one way or another, yet still succeeded.

You’re not alone.

So how about trying this: stop judging yourself so harshly. Know that as long as you keep trying in life, you’re doing good. When you fail at something, don’t treat yourself like it’s the worst thing ever. Just keep trying.

I’ll give it a shot, too.

Let's pinky swear: “I do solemnly swear not to freak out when I fail. I will not measure myself by my failures."

Cool?

Cool.

Oh, and one more thing:

[Base photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash]

xo,

🐝

Have a great week! 

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

So About That Kindness Thing...

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post detailing some potential scientific reasons as to why kindness appears to be contagious. Shortly after writing that post, I saw a piece that really highlights the concept, so please enjoy this feel-good story about a great random act of kindness that snowballed:

Duane Sherman, a 96-year-old WWII veteran and purple heart recipient, was not looking forward to his most recent birthday. Accustomed more to handwritten notes, cards and letters than to social media, he was not a man who would expect “Happy Birthday!” messages from his closest 200 friends on Facebook, you know? But most of his friends had predeceased him, and no cards were forthcoming.

His daughter, Sue, decided to make social media work for her dad, but in an unexpected way: she asked the internet to send her dad handwritten notes and cards for his birthday. And the internet said, “Ask, and you shall receive!”

According to the Good News Network, Mr. Sherman received over 50,000 cards from strangers in all 50 states and 10 countries!

"I’ll have a hell of a time reading them all," he said, delighted.

You can watch footage of Mr. Sherman and this epic birthday card story, below, courtesy of CBS.

So...how did this story make you feel? I know 50,000 cards is probably overkill, but it just goes to show how kindness can snowball. How amazing is it that 50,000 strangers all were touched by this veteran’s wish for a handwritten card? The generosity of people in general really gives me hope for our society.

Have a great week, everyone! 🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~
Sources: Good News Network / KDKA / KCAL / CBSLA YouTube

Fortune Cookie Friday: Success!

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 



Greetings my fellow bee-peeps!

First of all, I want to thank all of you who reached out and congratulated me on positively b.e.e.’s Liebster Award. Whether you emailed, commented on social media, or commented on the blog, you all really made my week! =)

After all of that excitement, though, I am definitely ready for a fortune cookie, aren’t you?

(For those of you who are new here, welcome! I have a regular feature called Fortune Cookie Friday, where I use a fortune to kick off a topic. You can read more about how it started.)

Ready? Okay, let’s go:

For success today look first to yourself.

Pretty much does what it says on the tin, doesn’t it? 

When I look around me, I see a lot of blame-shifting in our culture and society, in general. I’m not pointing to specific people, but for instance, when we process the things or events in our lives that are going wrong, we have a natural tendency as human beings to “explain” why things went wrong or didn’t go our way, but what we’re really doing is “blaming” someone or something instead of taking responsibility. 

Yes, sometimes “stuff happens,” and it’s out of your control. But those events are few and far between; the majority of the time, it was in your control. (Generic "you" here, guys!)

That said, be honest with yourself: does this resemble you?

It sure resembled me, for a very, very long time. 

For me, it really took a swift self-kick in the tuckus to start disrupting those old patterns of blame in my life and shift my energy more towards: enlightenment, learning, self-awareness, responsibility, and ownership. 

I hope this inspires you to take a look at your patterns, too. Knowing that we are the key to our own success is an empowering thing! 

Have a great week, everyone! 

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

Want to learn how to be successful having a proofreading income? 

100th Post Celebration - The 2019 Liebster Award!

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

I know you are probably expecting a Fortune Cookie today, but I had to diverge from the schedule for a very important reason:

This is my 100th post on positively b.e.e.! 🎉

And to celebrate, I’ve got a BIG announcement:

I’ve been nominated for a 2019 Liebster Award!

I was nominated by Lusine Gharibyan of My Blog, Coffee and Camera!  Lusine’s blog is a fun, insightful place with content that is sure to make you smile. Go check it out! You can read positively b.e.e.’s nomination here.

I’m very honored to be nominated. Thank you, Lusine! 🌹

Here is more information about the award: 

What is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award (“Liebster” is a German word meaning “sweetest,” “kindest,” “nicest,” “dearest”) is basically a peer-reviewed blogging award. Bloggers are nominated by other bloggers. It promotes the discovery of new blogs and helps new bloggers grow their audience, plus, what a great way to connect with other bloggers!

What Makes Me Passionate About Blogging?

I started positively b.e.e. as a way to disrupt the negativity we see in daily life—from social media, news feeds, the t.v., radio, or more. It seems like every day we are assailed on all fronts with negativity in many forms, and I feel like through this blog, I can do my own small part to change the world. I’m really passionate about getting the message out that it is possible to be happy in this complicated world of ours, plus I really enjoy the writing process. This blog is a big part of who I am, and I can’t imagine it not being a part of my life.

I was asked the following questions: 

1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Do I have to choose just one? :) I wouldn’t mind living in Edinburgh. I got to visit Scotland once, and  just loved it! I’ve lived in the UK before (in Birmingham), so I’m partial to that part of the world, anyway.

2. What song is stuck in your head right now?
It’s grey and snowy out, so of course I have XTC’s Wrapped In Grey stuck in my head.

"Don't let the loveless ones sell you a world wrapped in grey..."

You can get the whole Nonsuch album (which is excellent, by the way) here:


3. What book will you recommend me to read?
Deneen Joyner’s Soul Wounds & Sacred Revelations. I had the pleasure of meeting Deneen at a holiday event at a local yoga studio last month, and I bought her book (the Kindle edition) after our conversation. I’m about halfway through it, now, and it’s excellent! Next month I’ll be attending a book club/luncheon where she is the featured author, and I can’t wait! Her story of how she healed her emotional pain is compelling, and she writes beautifully and in a way that you can relate with her.


4. If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be?
It’s hard to choose just one, but I think I’d really like to pick Winston Churchill's brain about mindset and perseverance. Now there was a man who overcame many negative circumstances in life—he was challenged by his own party, unpopular in school, and neglected by his parents, for example—to become a strong leader who saved his country (and by extension, the world) by never giving in. His story is fascinating, from his early years to the end of his life, and I can make a couple of book recommendations about him if you're curious: The Last Lion trilogy by William Manchester (with Paul Reid on the final one), and God and Churchill, written by Churchill’s great-grandson, William Sandys.


5. What is your favorite outdoor activity?
I love either swimming in the ocean or hiking trails in parks. And even though I have a bit of a brown thumb,  I’m also a big fan of wandering around botanical gardens and fancy gardens at great houses (like at English country houses, etc.).

6. What would constitute the "perfect" day for you?
There is no one definition of the “perfect” day, for me. Whether I spend a day watching Netflix with my husband, or teaching a gratitude journaling workshop, or reading a book on the beach, every day has the opportunity to be the “perfect” day.

7. What is one item you cannot live without?
While I’m not sure there’s anything I can’t live without, I guess I’d be pretty bummed if I didn’t have my gratitude journal any more.

8. What is your favorite quote and why?
Pretty much anything by the 13th-century Sufi poet and mystic, Rumi. I think this quote is appropriate for this post and this blog:

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”

9. City life or the countryside?
I love both, but I think I prefer the convenience of living in the city. That said, I love to get out to the countryside on weekends or vacations and have some quiet time.

10. Tea or coffee?
I love coffee, don’t get me wrong—but I quit it in April of 2018 for health reasons. Since then, I’m a tea-only gal. I prefer a sturdy breakfast tea (English, Irish or Scottish) in the morning, green in the afternoon, and herbal at night. Once in a very blue moon, I'll get a decaf cappuccino if I'm out.

My nominees: 

Novel Blondes — As a voracious reader who likes a lot of different genres, I really enjoy Novel Blondes. The book reviews are easily digestible but give you enough info to pique your interest, and I also love the overall look of the blog.

Who Do I Do — Lana and Ian inspire me to travel, and reading their blog makes me feel like I am living vicariously through them! Beautiful photos, detailed travel logs, and a fun atmosphere can be found here.

Victorious Living — In this faith-based blog, Shelly Langelaar writes in a way that makes me think, including topics such as how to stop having a victim mentality or how to walk in your purpose.

A Busy Bee’s Life — Sheri’s blog seems geared toward moms, but there's great info there for anyone, really. The blog is really nice visually and has topics about parenting, self-help, productivity, and travel. I found her blog through a Facebook group and added it to my list. 

Imperfectly Paige Wellness — Okay, I must disclose that I actually do know Paige in person. We used to work together, and we’d get coffee together every morning and talk about our goals and dreams. I used to talk about my dream of becoming a wordsmith who worked from home, and she used to talk about becoming a certified fitness and nutrition coach. We'd support each other in our goals. And she is CRUSHING hers! I love her practical, compassionate viewpoints on health, wellness, and having a healthy mindset about yourself. If you want yummy recipes, workout tips (yep, she did become a NASM-certified trainer!) or just to get to know a really cool human being doing her thing in this world, go check out her site! :)

Questions for my nominees:

1. If you could spend a day with anyone (living or deceased), who would it be, and what would you do?
2. Tell me about something on your bucket list.
3. What was an influential song in your life?
4. What does the ideal weekend look like?
5. What should I binge-watch next on Netflix? 
6. Can you recommend a good book for me to read next?
7. Star Trek or Star Wars? (If any…)
8. What’s your favorite way to start the day off on the right foot?
9. Tell me about a hobby you have and how you got into it.
10. Ocean or mountains?

10 random things about me:

1. I’m an only child, but have a HUGE extended family. It’s the best of both worlds.
2. I’m originally from Connecticut.
3. I was a Russian major and lived in the Soviet Union briefly as part of an exchange program. 
4. I used to be a DJ in a goth club.
5. I’m crazy about cozy mysteries and hope to copy edit or proofread them someday. Do what you love, right?
6. I love old-school British comedies such as Chef, Red Dwarf, Yes! Prime Minister, and The Vicar of Dibley.
7. I’ve been married 3 times. (Third time’s the charm!)
8. I have a complicated relationship with cheese. My husband jokes about “The Cheese Rules.” Even I’m not sure what they are. 🤷
9.  Star Trek. Definitely Star Trek. Live long and prosper! :) 
10.  I’m Beth, not Elizabeth. 

The Rules 

• Thank the person who nominated you and put a link to their blog on your blog.
• Display the award on your blog.
• For the Liebster Award 2019, write a small post about what makes you passionate about blogging
• Provide 10 random facts about yourself (optional)
• Nominate 5 - 11 blogs
• List the rules in your post
• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide a link for them to your post or The Global Aussie
• Create new questions for your nominees to answer

So, in summary, this was a lot of fun to participate in, and Lusine's timing in nominating positively b.e.e. was perfect because she informed me right before I started writing my 100th post. Thanks again, Lusine, and to my nominees: congratulations!! Thanks for writing blogs I enjoy reading! :)

And thank you all for reading along with me for 100 posts. Here's to 100 more! Hope you all have a great week, and see you next week with a Fortune Cookie! 🐝

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~

The Science of Kindness

This post may contain affiliate links, by which I may be financially compensated. See Disclosures. 

Hello everyone! I hope you’ve been having a wonderful week. 

Today I want to talk about kindness. I don’t know why this popped into my brain, but it did, so bear with me. 

“Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

We all know that it’s good to be kind. We’re taught as children to be kind to others, share our toys, be nice, say “please” and “thank you,” and help our friends. Some of us have done volunteer work throughout our lives, or at the very least, helped a neighbor bring in their groceries or shovel their walk.

I really like highlighting ways to be kind to each other here on this blog. I’ve recognized that not only does being kind to people make me feel good (indeed, it makes me feel good to write this blog every week), but I’ve noticed that when one person is kind, then there is a tendency for other people to be kind, as well. And it’s not because of some weird peer pressure thing, either; it really does seem to be, well… CONTAGIOUS.

So the other night, I was sitting here wondering what I was going to write about, when a thought popped into my brain: 

“I wonder if there’s any science behind kindness being contagious?” 

So I did some poking around, and found some interesting things that I will summarize at a very high level with proper attribution to original sources so you can deep-dive the topic. Please support these scientists and writers and go read their original work, okay? 

Okay. Here goes:

Scientific American conducted a study in which they added $1 extra onto the payment for participants in the study, then gave people the opportunity to donate any portion to any number of charities. They also let the study participants see a made-up list of others’ donations, and it turns out, when they thought others were being generous, they were generous, too. (And if they thought others were stingy, they were stingy.)

Next, Scientific American wanted to find out what the empathy factor would be in these acts of charity: were they simply acts of imitation, or did people who witnessed or performed an act of charity have more compassion and empathy overall? They gave participants a seemingly-unrelated “pen pal” task, in which they read a letter from someone describing the ups and downs of their life, and then were asked to write a letter back to that person. 

Turns out, after witnessing people donate money generously, participants were friendlier and more compassionate in their letter responses to their “pen pal.”

So what is the mechanism that is happening within us, either biologically or sociologically, when witnessing others being kind? Scientists don’t fully understand that, yet, but there are some theories.

According to this article on the Good News Network, it may actually be some kind of evolutionary holdover, and there was another source that may support that. In his paper, Darwin’s Compassionate View of Human Nature, Paul Ekman, Ph.D. discusses Darwin’s telling of a story in which a little monkey tried to protect his zookeeper from a vicious baboon attack, despite the fact that the monkey was, at all other times, terrified of the baboon. Darwin theorized that when we witness suffering, we also suffer, so that in order to stop our own suffering, we will try to stop others’ suffering, too. But how does that fit in with evolution? The idea is that in order for the species to survive, inevitably one member of the species may sacrifice themselves to protect those who have a better chance of surviving. 

Additionally, the Good News Network's article discusses something called the “Helper’s High”—certain parts of the brain are lit up by witnessing or participating in acts of kindness, and certain hormones are released, as well, such as oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. To expand upon this, check out this cool infographic by Dartmouth summarizing the physiological and other effects of random acts of kindness. 

Anyway, this long summary of articles about the science of kindness is brought to you courtesy of my curious brain. 😄 I hope it was as enlightening to you as it was to me, and inspires you to do some more looking into the matter for yourself. Do go read the source material I provided, or do some Googling; there is a TON of info out there!

I wonder: does this discussion inspire you to do something kind for someone today? Let me know your thoughts, below. After all, when we are kind to others: 

...we can disrupt negativity like a boss!

base photo courtesy of Josh Appel on Unsplash

Have a great week, everyone! 🐝

(Sources: Scientific American / Dartmouth / Paul Ekman, Ph.D. / Good News Network)

 ~positively b.e.e. is on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Follow me there!~