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today 		"The things we want are really the times we share."

"The most important things we bring with us are within us."

"If I had only one thing I would take a smile over an iPod."

~ Rob Hueniken

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compassion

The strength around us

by Rob Hueniken on Monday, January 31, 2011

the-strength-beneathWe see fire hydrants every day, fortunately not often in use. But there they stand, along our route and near our homes — silent, patient reminders of our shared commitment to safety and community.

The fire hydrant, or "fire plug", dates back to the 1600s, when fire crews would prepare a water source by digging deep into the ground to reach the water table. Afterwards, they covered the well with a plug, so that they were ready. When a fire broke out they'd remove the fire plug and use a bucket brigade — a human chain — to move the water to where it was needed.

Fire hydrants are a great example of how previous problems can lead to not only solutions but commitment to our shared success. While no-one wants to experience such trouble up close, knowing that there is a chance for relief and support can give us all confidence and security.

Recently I saw a truck with two new fire hydrants, on their way to being installed. Like much of the infrastructure we depend on, including our electrical supply, the strength of fire hydrants is hidden — supporting what is visible — built on the endless river of human experience, ingenuity and compassion.

fire-hydrants-to-install

While each of us has our own walk in life, it is good to know that our families, friends and community are there to help. We are each other's bucket brigade. We are the strength around us.

we-are-all-part-of-the-bucket-brigade

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Tagged as: brigade, bucket, community, compassion, experience, fire, fireman, firemen, hydrant, ingenuity, Life, lifestyle, strength

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Trying Hard – Still a Key to Life

by Rob Hueniken on Saturday, October 30, 2010

life-takes-hard-workLost in the marketing maelstrom of our culture is an eternal truth: that life is hard and requires us to try hard. 

It doesn't matter how many songs we have on our iPod, how many friends we have on Facebook, or how many dollars we have in the bank — without an understanding of our personal commitment to making things work out it all eventually falls apart. Others can help keep things running for a while, but life requires our own determination and action.

This is not just about a person's career — trying hard is about all aspects of our lives, from jobs to helping others, from relationships to keeping our world safe and healthy.

With so few of us plowing fields or milking cows anymore, the illusion that life is easier now is easy to accept. We have medical facilities, cheap food and lots of fun ways to spend time. Surely that means we can take it easy — just try a bit, sometimes, when we feel like it, or when something is urgent.

This illusion is believed by many people, most of whom never had to milk a cow before dawn, every day, like it or not. In just two generations we have moved from experiencing the hard work of farming to treating food as just another thing we get to enjoy.

In the days of farming, people grew up understanding the direct connection between commitment, action and survival — not just for themselves, but for their family and community.

In an age where there are screens of every size pouring out entertainment, it can be easy to forget the immense web of work that is being done by others, partly on our behalf. We all benefit from the efforts of others, from the time we are babies through adulthood. Everything we have is, in one way or another, related to the efforts of someone else — someone working — someone trying — someone participating — someone sharing.

Both humanity's advancements and daily life are built on our shared efforts, mutual respect, and compassion — and that includes yours.

try-hard-togetherMost people are, indeed, working hard, and they understand and experience life's struggles every day. Whether through their upbringing, life lessons or circumstances, they know they have to keep at it — and there's no question that life is hard and takes hard work. 

A difficult moment in our lives is when we learn that trying doesn't guarantee success. Sometimes people try something once and fail, never to try it again. Sometimes people are working on things they aren't suited to, hit roadblocks, or have to deal with difficult people. 

There's are lots of reasons why things don't work out the way we imagined, but two things are sure:

- Minimal efforts are almost always unsuccessful.
- For life to become better we need to accept that life is hard and takes hard work.

The good news is when we try hard, we find more often that things work out — often because others see us trying hard and pitch in.

Making things better is something we need to do on our own, and together.
We can't do it all on our own, but each of us must do our part. 

Let's try hard!

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Tagged as: compassion, Life, life is hard, respect, Trying hard, work together

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Doing our part to help things work out

by Rob Hueniken on Wednesday, October 21, 2009

we-used-to-get-fedAt the core of our lives are two powerful traits: responsibility and compassion. While they sound like lofty ideals, responsibility and compassion are actually life’s calls to action, built into each of us. We know there are things we should do, and we know when we should be helpful and sensitive to others.  Knowing these things doesn’t make us responsible and compassionate — it is acting on these feelings by participating.

When we are young, most things are done for us. Mothers, fathers and caregivers watch over us, and try to give us what we need — both physically and emotionally.

As we get older, we learn skills and develop an understanding of the needs and emotions of both ourselves and others. Life prepares us, step by step, to move beyond receiving to giving and doing.

By the time we are teens we understand the power of action, and experience the sometimes unsettling shift to our own vital role in making things work out. We become aware that there are things to do, and feelings beyond our own that are worthy of care and consideration.

responsibility-and-compassion-require-action

While each of us needs times of rest and self-focus, being active and involved provides satisfaction and a joy of life that is felt on many levels.

As any elderly person with arthritis will tell you, there is a joy to being able to use our hands. Our bodies and minds like to do things, and there can be pleasure in simple chores — even washing the dishes or taking out the garbage. Human hands are wonderful creations, and using them to help ourselves and others is not just their essential purpose — it physically feels good!

Responsibility and compassion are essential for all successful relationships. We live in community, and though each of us needs our private time, being involved with others is a big part of our lives. When we make the shared parts of our lives better we all benefit. The key word here is “better”, and as anyone will tell you, “better” doesn’t happen on its own — making things better takes action; it takes effort.

There is a special, intense feeling of joy when we bring a smile to others. Some of the best smiles result from sharing a moment of appreciation, celebrating our shared efforts.  It is a smile that says “We are doing this together“.

When times are tough, knowing that someone cares brings strength and hope, but when someone takes action we see our situation improving, and that is a powerful inspiration for people.  Seeing progress — even a slow, small bit — can be like a train starting to move out of the station. It is exciting even if it is mundane, because action moves us forward.

Each of us has personal goals, and knows how good it feels to have something we care about work out. The same positive feelings are experienced for the goals we help others with. In fact, helping others can feel even better than helping yourself.

While ideas and knowledge are good things, it is the doing of things that makes life good.

There is a happy middle ground between exhaustion and idleness, and between servitude and insensitivity — it is being responsible and compassionate.

When we share in what needs to be done — helping each other, and being sensitive to each other’s feelings — we can get the right things done. We can help things work out.

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Tagged as: action, compassion, Helping, joy, Life, lifestyle, needs, relationships, responsibility, teens

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