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04/19/202012/15/2023

The Power of Compassion, Empathy and Kindness in an Uncertain World

In this extraordinary time, are you feeling unsettled or uncomfortable? I know I am; for many of us, this disturbing feeling is a reflection of what’s going on in our world, where we don’t know much for sure. The fundamental fear we’re experiencing has an important role to play for our survival and protection.

But fear is a trickster; it can make us do and say strange things. Let’s not ignore or repress fear; rather let’s call fear out; face it head on. Let’s get clear about what we’re really afraid of and name it. If we’re afraid of getting sick, remember that none of us is in charge of the virus, only our thoughts about our wellness. So a better focus for our thoughts would be on our wellness, right? The idea of naming what we’re afraid of takes away some of its power and puts us in charge of our thoughts, words and actions.

Calling out fear, the con artist helps us gain perspective, enabling us to navigate with compassion, empathy and kindness for ourselves and for everyone around us. It’s my view that these qualities are our true nature but when fear takes over, we overlook them because we go into survival mode and focus on our primal needs. When we ask fear to take a back seat, we create space for our superpowers of empathy, compassion and kindness to support us in keeping fear managed.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

Compassion arises when we feel for someone in a challenging situation without experiencing it ourselves. Empathy flows when we put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and feel the experience they’re having. In this unprecedented time, empathy is everywhere because we are all experiencing the same threat, so we can appreciate how each other feels. Both of these beautiful human qualities come quite naturally to us but when fear is present, we have to make extra effort to lead with them rather than leading with fear.

“I choose the path of kindness. The more you extend kindness to yourself, the more it will become your automatic response to others.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

If you bump up against a challenge with another person either in their behavior or something they say, remind yourself that just like you, this person is doing their best to do their best. Call on your endless supply of kindness and compassion to help you navigate and be mindful of your words. If what you want to experience from others is kindness and compassion, make the first move and watch what happens.

Just like this virus spreads in ways we don’t really yet understand, kindness spreads too. Physicist and kindness expert Dr. David Hamilton explains that the Covid 19 virus has a contagion factor of 2.5 which means that every person who spreads the virus spreads it to 2.5 people. Each of the 2.5 spreads to 2.5 and the number increases just like compound interest. The contagion factor for an act of kindness is 5, which means that every act of kindness impacts 5 people and when we multiply just like compound interest, kindness can be a very powerful force.

“We can’t control the wind but we can adjust the sails.” Unknown

We can’t yet control the virus but we certainly can control our thoughts and face our fears head on. When we focus on how we can be of service in a very positive way for others, there’s no end to what we can do to make a difference. Consider a smile, writing a note, making a phone call, giving someone a compliment or simply listening as acts of kindness. Remember how kindness spreads and how good you feel when someone shows you kindness; then ask yourself how you can get busy ensuring we have more than enough kindness to go around. Live well, stay well.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Carefreedom Living® Posted by Kathie Donovan

03/30/202012/15/2023

Calming Your Mind In Stressful Times

In the modern world we’re now absolutely bombarded by information — from phone calls to 24 hour news cycles to highway billboards and social media posts.

With the information overload and our busy lives, is it any wonder that our mind constantly plays a soundtrack of anxious and intrusive thoughts?

Kathie Donovan shares insights into calming our minds.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Carefreedom Living®, Video Blogs Posted by Kathie Donovan

03/23/202012/15/2023

How To Manage Living In Interesting Times

Life is certainly unstable right now; this uncertainty messes with us humans physically, mentally, emotionally and even spiritually. It’s no joke.

None of us knows how the coronavirus will impact our communities and our loved ones; all we can do is keep calm and carry on. That was what the British government put on a poster to help boost morale in England as they prepared for World War II; that was no joke either.

So, what can we do to help ourselves and our community? Well first of all, it’s important to be informed but equally important not to allow ourselves to become overwhelmed. Watching news all day is not good medicine for us on any level. While the media has a key role to play in keeping us informed, remember that fear is a kind of currency for the media and it’s up to us to manage the budget. So check in but don’t stay too long, change the channel….but to what?

Here are a few suggestions that I’m practicing to help manage the stress in all of this uncertainty.

I’m minimizing exposure to drama in the media and in conversations with other people. Be a leader and control the dialogue. Yes it is scary but let’s all do our best to stay in the present and not get too far ahead of ourselves.

I don’t mean to disregard reality but it’s important to surround yourself with positive energy and give your thoughts a positive focus. It could be watching a funny movie, cat videos, uplifting interviews, speaking with people you know who are positive; reading articles like this to stay focused on what you can do to help yourself and those around you. It’s important to stay connected with each other; with so many options available, we can stay “in community,” virtually without having to be irresponsible. The elderly are our most vulnerable, if you think of someone who may need some groceries or a meal, call them and make the offer. Just the sound of a happy voice, will settle them down. I’m sure they will appreciate knowing they are not alone in this.

Ask for help if you need it. Believe me; someone is waiting for you to ask.

Thanks to online ordering, electronic banking & all the delivery services out there, we should be able to get what we need, even if we are self isolating.

Watch caffeine intake, it can create anxiety in the body and we want to minimize that. Choose herbal tea or water instead. Make sure you’re eating a healthy diet, which means minimal refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, which weakens the immune system.

Practice or learn how to use your breath to calm your body. Practice or learn to meditate to calm your thoughts and your body.

Watch the negative self-talk and potential criticism of others. Fear is a trickster; it can make us feel like we’re doing the right thing when in truth, the right thing is always to be kind toward yourself and everyone else.

Finally, use your thoughts to focus on gratitude for people on the front lines of this unpredictable virus, gratitude for their service and courage. I’m grateful for them and I’m grateful for you. Be well; live well.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Carefreedom Living® Posted by Kathie Donovan

03/09/202012/15/2023

From Little Seeds Great Things Grow

I was a dedicated smoker for a few decades of my life; I’m not proud of the fact but what I am delighted with is that I was able to stop. Smoking is a stubborn habit. It took me about seven attempts before I was able to gradually stop smoking successfully. To help me get through the withdrawal from nicotine, I was encouraged to do more aerobic exercise, eat more protein and leafy greens. I didn’t really understand why these new habits helped but they did. It turns out it was about focusing my thoughts on feeling good through healthier practices and not focusing on the negative feeling of giving something up. It worked! I’ve been free from cigarettes for almost thirty years.

Our brain is a powerful supercomputer; it’s involved in everything we do. The brain has connections that run throughout our body; it determines how we behave and how well we think. I remind myself often that our thoughts are really the only thing we have control over in life. We can’t control events and we can’t control other people. Our thoughts are so powerful that they can be sabotaging, even debilitating when left unchecked; they can also be a powerful positive force when we manage them well.

Negativity is so easy to buy into and that’s mainly what our thinking mind serves up. It takes a focus on something other than our random thoughts to shift us out of negativity, especially when there’s so much fear in the world but it is important to take ownership of our thoughts and direct them toward a good result, just as I did with giving up smoking.

What sounds like a daunting responsibility can be managed by having a healthy foundation; then building on small shifts to produce long-term positive results. It’s important to get good nutrition, good exercise and good sleep; these are the pillars of a healthy mindset. If you want to improve any of these, start investigating how you can develop better sleep habits and ask your doctor to check your blood work to ensure that you’re not deficient in important minerals and vitamins. Exercise is a natural anti-depressant and we need to treat it like medicine. I love yoga and practice it regularly; I find it really helpful when it comes to stress management, feeling calm and having clarity. Start small with any of these healthy practices and be kind to yourself as you learn something new.

Now that we’ve set the foundation, we can start building on.

I wasn’t always a grateful person; in fact I grew up feeling like I never had enough and that I wasn’t enough because that’s what I learned at home. There was more emphasis on what we didn’t have and who we could never be instead of learning to appreciate what we did have. In adulthood, after realizing that this line of thinking was sabotaging my best efforts to be happy, I chose to teach myself to focus my thoughts on what I had to appreciate, starting with small shifts. Try this: look out the nearest window and pause for a few minutes. Notice the colours you observe; notice the sunlight or cloud formation in the sky. What makes you feel good about what you see? Pay attention to that. If you can’t see, listen, even to the quiet and appreciate that you can hear. If you can’t hear, notice your breath and be grateful for that.

It’s all about bringing our attention into the present moment and appreciating life exactly as it is. Even on days when life sucks, there is something to appreciate. In this small practice of focusing our thoughts on the good instead of the random negative thoughts our brain serves up, we create a brighter result. Next step for me was writing down five things I’m grateful for every day until it became a thinking habit; if it was a bad day, I’d write ten things. The truth is, the more grateful we are, the more there is to be grateful for.

Despite what your thoughts tell you, your brain loves a challenge. Learning to talk back to negative thoughts is an important habit to cultivate. Ask yourself if the negative thought is really true and if it’s not true, please correct it. When you do, you take away its power. Instead of allowing your thoughts to run your life, work on learning new things. It’s through learning that we develop new connections in the brain and enhance its capability. There is absolutely no age limit on learning and in fact when we stop learning, our brain slows down. We have to work it like a muscle.

Small, no fail steps are the building blocks of good sustainable habits. It’s important to recognize that we’re all beautiful works in progress; the goal should be to constantly improve and not to win anything or anyone’s approval. Do your best to feel your best you’ll find yourself willing to keep going and growing.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Carefreedom Living® Posted by Kathie Donovan

02/16/202005/03/2024

The Truth about Mental Fatigue

I woke up one day not long after Christmas and realized that I was out of gas. I didn’t just feel physically tired, there was something more going on; I knew I needed to take a closer look. I call myself a happiness expert and this didn’t feel like that. I took a pause and reviewed the last few months. It became very clear that I had done a good job of taking care of my husband when he had a temporary health challenge, I did a good job of taking care of a group I travelled to Europe with and when my husband’s family came for Christmas, I did a pretty good job of taking care of them too. But I reached the point where I couldn’t take care of anybody else until I took care of myself.

It happens to the best of us. We run out of gas with no gas station in sight. Fortunately, I didn’t end up in a pile on the floor like Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington did. She woke up on the floor of her office, having hit her head on the way down. She didn’t know she had run out of gas and what she gleaned from her experience, inspired her to become a sleep evangelist, preaching about the benefits of sleep in a book called The Sleep Revolution: Transforming your Life, One Night at a Time.

Because we spend so much time in our head thinking about to do lists and other people’s needs, we can miss cues, letting us know that something is up. Physical tiredness, as Arianna teaches, can be addressed with good sleep habits but how do we know we’re mentally tired and what can we do about it?

A mentally fatigued person might have difficulty concentrating, feel apathetic or overwhelmed; might feel a lack of motivation, dread or hopelessness. They might even feel angry, anxious or depressed. They may have an upset stomach, body aches, fatigue or loss of appetite and might feel socially isolated. I had some; not all of these symptoms but certainly enough of them to get my attention.

Mental fatigue can be caused by a change in lifestyle, perhaps death of a loved one, being a caregiver for someone ill or aging; it can be caused by financial challenges. It might also be caused by an absence of social support or having too much on your plate for too long, which was the case for me.

There is a prescription for each of us who finds ourselves feeling mentally exhausted and it begins with recognizing and accepting that we are out of gas. It’s never a bad idea to consult your doctor if you feel overwhelmed and your doctor may very well suggest some of the following ideas, some of which helped me a great deal in the last month.

If you are caring for a loved one who is ill, investigate respite care and make sure that you get some support. Often we think we have to do everything ourselves, when folks are waiting to help us if we’re courageous enough to ask. Recharging is so important and we have to make space to do that. It might be a vacation, a few days or hours with no agenda to help fill your tank.

Good quality rest is important and some form of exercise is too. Exercise like brisk walking is excellent to move stagnant energy around in the body and help lower stress response as well as helping us handle unknown stressors in the future.

Gratitude is a key when it comes to lowering stress. I strongly recommend keeping a gratitude journal; write down five things you’re grateful for every day. Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, yoga and tai-chi, go for a massage or learn deep breathing techniques.

Walking in nature is medicine for me, spending time alone, getting and giving hugs as well as having a good old fashioned chin wag with a friend all fill my tank. I’m happy to say that life is back on track and I have some new habits to take me through 2020 with clarity, calm and confidence. Living well is about being open to learning something new about ourselves and embracing ideas we can use to improve our results, so that we can inspire others to do the same.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

01/27/202005/03/2024

The Art of Living Well by Decluttering

The self-storage business in North America nets well over 35 billion dollars a year. That’s a shocking number isn’t it but are you surprised? The success of this industry is due in large part to young families looking for more affordable housing and older generations downsizing. I think it’s fair to say that most of us have stuff stashed in cupboards, basements, garages and one in ten of us has stuff stashed in a storage locker somewhere.

Getting that first apartment and buying furniture is usually where collecting stuff begins. We acquire, inherit, borrow and purchase stuff for the rest of our lives. We cherish certain items for sentimental, investment or aesthetic reasons and we hold on to things that have no meaning whatsoever, usually because we don’t know what to do with them or in some cases we don’t even know we have them.

Have you heard of Marie Kondo, also known as Konmari? She’s an organizational consultant, author of four books, including The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up; she’s also the star of the successful Netflix series, Tidying Up.

Marie’s method of organizing and decluttering is called the KonMari Method.™ It’s best described as a way of life or a state of mind that focuses on appreciating and keeping only the items we have that spark joy, while surrendering what no longer sparks joy, after acknowledging and thanking each item. There’s a specific process, beginning with our clothing and ending with sentimental items. The shift in the people whose lives are changed by Marie’s magic is actually very inspiring and shines a light on the real problem we have in North America when it comes to our need to acquire and hold on to things.

Marie compassionately walks her clients through the KonMari process, helping them recognize that when we only keep items that spark joy, our lives feel lighter, we feel more relaxed in our environment and some of the items we surrender become available to spark joy for someone else. It’s a powerful lesson that is initially frightening and overwhelming but creates freedom and empowers everyone who participates in the process.

Marie Kondo is a very gentle person with a soft voice and an easy smile, who doesn’t judge her clients. She loves a mess, she says, because she loves tidying up and once her clients grasp the concept and really examine what sparks joy for them, the process of surrendering what doesn’t serve them or as Marie says, spark joy for them, helps create a feeling of freedom.

This idea of surrendering what doesn’t serve us or what doesn’t spark joy isn’t just about our physical possessions, the best research suggests that each of us has between 20,000 and 80,000 thoughts a day, many of them are stored from childhood and most of them do anything but spark joy, wouldn’t you agree?

De-cluttering our thoughts is as important as de-cluttering our things, when you consider that the only areas in our lives that we really have control over are our thoughts and our things. We can’t control life’s events and we can’t control other people. In the same way that we can choose to keep only the belongings that spark joy, we can acknowledge untruths and surrender them, to make room for ideas and thoughts that actually make us feel good.

I believe it was Einstein who said “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” If we unpack the conditioned thoughts and beliefs we have about ourselves and our place in the world, we can usually trace some of it back to something someone said to us even as children, or something we read or saw in the media and when repeated over and over becomes a belief. The most important question to ask is: is the thought or belief true?

There are so many examples we could look at but for a moment let’s examine the idea of aging. In North American society, the accepted view is if we’re old, we’re irrelevant. Is that true? I believe the answer is no and it’s up to each one of us to defy that ridiculous idea and bring our best to every day. It’s not about fighting against anything, it’s about leading the way and showing others what it looks like to be a mature, ageless thinker who believes every person is relevant. The focus of our thoughts then must be on what sparks joy and what makes us feel connected and relevant in the world today.

I love the concept of Freedom Living that The Wellings embraces because it really embodies what it is to age gratefully. Freedom living recognizes that this gift of aging is about saying yes to what sparks joy and giving ourselves permission to let people and situations that cause drama or clutter slide on by, after acknowledging and thanking them, as Marie Kondo would have us do.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

01/13/202005/03/2024

The Secret to Making Achievable New Year’s Resolutions

The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions has been around for centuries, beginning with the ancient Babylonians, whose custom of celebrating a new year in March, when crops were planted, focused on a 12 day religious festival. During the celebration, a new king was crowned or loyalty to the reigning king was affirmed and promises to pay debt and return any borrowed items were made. The idea was that if people honoured their resolutions, the gods would smile on them and if not they’d potentially be punished by the same gods.

In the 4,000 years since, as societies have evolved, quite a few things have changed but the idea of making a promise still remains except now it seems we set rather unrealistic goals; in effect we set ourselves up to let ourselves down. I have a few helpful ideas that might feel more resonant in 2020.

A recent New Year’s Eve poll conducted on CTV Ottawa, indicated that 78% of respondents do not make New Year’s resolutions; of the 22% who say they do set resolutions, we can assume that a good percentage of them will fail to reach their goals. Visit your local gym during the first week of January; then during the first week of April and you’ll see evidence of this fascinating human behavior.

So why do we set ourselves up to fail? Wouldn’t it make more sense to set achievable New Year’s resolutions? Instead of committing to losing weight, quitting smoking, eating clean or any of the other predictable and often unrealistic goals we set on the first day of a new year, why not look at the idea of resolutions in a slightly different way. How about shifting habits from the inside out instead of the other way around?

The way we think of New Year’s resolutions is about deferred happiness: I’ll feel better or I’ll be happier with myself when I……..fill in the blank with any number of objectives. If the true goal of a resolution is to improve your life, wouldn’t it be more powerful to focus your thoughts on that improvement? Doesn’t it make more sense to be focused on appreciation for what you already have in your life by listing three to five things you’re grateful for every day instead of admonishing yourself for enjoying a cupcake?

The folks at UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center tell us that focusing on being thankful and expressing appreciation change the molecular structure of the brain and it’s believed that people who experience more positive emotions feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.

I believe that courage is our superpower and yet many of us feel less and less courageous, the longer we’re on earth. Fear is a very powerful force and its job is to keep us safe but it also can prevent us from trying new things or meeting new people. I’m not suggesting you try swimming with great white sharks but what if you called on courage to help you try something you’ve always wanted to like dancing, yoga or learning a new language? What if you called on courage to help you get moving for fifteen minutes a day?

Every time you call on your superpower of courage and take action, you’re sending a message to your brain that you’re safe so fear can take a back seat and you can take a step closer to your goal of feeling better about yourself. After all self-improvement and happiness are nurtured by the small steps we take toward feeling good on the inside, which ultimately shows on the outside.

I encourage you to embrace every new day as the gift that it truly is. Let’s let go of resentments that keep us stuck, disappointment, anger and regret that keep us in the past. Let’s greet every day with gratitude and courage. Let’s open our hearts and open our minds; let’s get on with the business of living well. This is going to be a great day.

Kathie Donovan
Currently a Wellings Ambassador and Living Well Advisor, Kathie was Canada’s broadcasting sweetheart for almost three decades as well as co-host of the beloved television show Regional Contact. Kathie is a gifted storyteller who shone a light on characters and creative types tucked into small towns. Her love of connecting people, caring and sharing is inspiring. Kathie has authored two books with a third on the way; she continues to build on her annual event “Refresh Your Passion” and other workshops. Kathie’s priorities are to love what she does and live well.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

01/01/202002/11/2022

New Year’s Greetings

First and foremost, allow me to thank you for taking the time to open and read this message, as I know we all have so much on our plates at this time of the year.

I am so grateful for all of the Blessings that 2019 provided to all of us, that I felt it necessary to share some of the highlights, surrounding 2019, now in the rearview mirror, with all of its great memories and take a look forward to 2020, with overwhelming enthusiasm and excitement.

Suffice it to say that from a corporate perspective, the Opening of the Wellings of Stittsville would have to have been the high point of the past year. I guess it goes without saying that our community members proved once again, that they are the true “Wellings Champions” that we all aspire to be 🙂 Their patience and support was not only appreciated but truly cherished, as we endured the delays in construction.

I believe in my heart that the end result is a Wellings community that is a beautiful building fueled by community’s passion-We are so Blessed-Thank you all.

In addition to the Wellings of Stittsville opening, we are all excited with the overwhelming community support we have received in all of the existing Wellings communities, as well as markets we are looking forward to building in. With vibrant Wellings PLUS communities in Picton, Corunna (Sarnia), and most recently, Stittsville, with our most successful opening to date, where almost 150 people moved in in the 1st 60 days-Wow. The most fantastic thing in Stittsville was the community’s birth, long before there was ever a building, fascinating……

The other very exciting news that will forever tie 2019 to 2020 is the innovation that we have experienced in our traditional Wellings offering. On the heels of the tremendous success in the Wellings of Waterford, with all three phases scheduled to be completed in April of 2020, we already have a full house. The popularity of this model of community in Waterford has “inspired” us to ramp up development in our traditional Wellings small market offering. This model is a unique offering that breeds a real sense of community at affordable prices for smaller cities. As a result of this overwhelming support, we have communities in planning or under development in Winchester, Pembroke, and Cornwall to kick off in 2020.

On the Wellings PLUS front, we are equally excited about the completion and environment in our recently opened Wellings of Stittsville and have Wellings PLUS communities beginning construction in 2020 in Whitby and Calgary-So exciting, to provide the ultimate 55+ community experience in these two markets.

I wanted to personally thank all of our stakeholders for their contributions and support in helping the Wellings brand to exceed expectations at every opportunity and continue to innovate in the area of 55+ communities. I look forward to seeing all of you during my visits to YOUR Wellings community during 2020, while I continue to look for your input as to how we can continue to make Wellings all that your dreams make it.

On a closing note, I wanted to personally thank all of our community members for their undying support and trust and wish each and every one of you A joyous holiday season and all of the Blessings that 2020 has to bring to you and your families.

Happy New Year,
Kevin Pidgeon,
President,
Nautical Lands Group

in Carefreedom Living® Posted by Kevin pidgeon

12/22/201905/03/2024

Plant Love; Reap Joy

One of my favourite flowers is the Forget-me-not. A woman I worked with many years ago gave me a packet of Forget-me-not seeds, when we stopped working together, so that I will always remember her. The first spring those sweet little blue flowers popped up, I smiled and thought of the kind-hearted person who gifted them to me.

The following season, there were more and over the years, in some areas of our garden, there’s a pretty blue carpet that reminds me of friendship and kindness. I love how nature has so much to teach us.

Here’s something important we can learn from nature: everything we plant in our mind with our thoughts will produce some kind of result, just as it would if you planted a seed in the ground.

The question is what’s growing in your garden? Do you want flowers or weeds?

I love the question because it guides us to consider what we really want. I like to think of myself as a farmer, planting seeds and nurturing them, so that I can benefit down the road. If we want to feel good in life, it’s up to us to invest in the crops that will produce that result. I like to grow healthy crops with my thoughts and I like to weed out things like chronic complaining and gossip because neither one is going to help with what I want to grow and harvest.

As humans, we’re wired to feel safe, so challenging our thoughts seems unnatural; we have to work at this stuff. Brain science tells us that we have between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts rolling through our minds every day and most of them are negative. If I asked you to pay attention to the thoughts that pop up, say for one day, I think you’d notice what I’m talking about.

We have deeply ingrained habits that at one time in our evolution served to help us survive. Take judgement for example: we love to categorize and compare, don’t we? It makes us feel powerful but judgement and separation, taken to an extreme have caused so many problems in our families and our communities. I think the most damaging thoughts we have are focused on judgement of ourselves and separation from others. Listen to how you talk to yourself with your inside voice. Left unmanaged, the random thoughts in your mind can take you down some scary rabbit holes. So, it’s key to catch ourselves when judgement pops up and reset to compassion and empathy for ourselves first and then for everyone else.

Another habit is holding on to bitterness, anger and resentment because it makes us feel powerful where we might otherwise feel powerless. Buddha said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”

We can’t control life’s events and we can’t control other people. The only things we have control over are the thoughts we choose. Keep in mind that nobody has it all together, we are all beautiful works in progress and having a focus on empathy, compassion and kindness means that we will harvest tons of good will and enjoy more connected relationships with our families, friends and our communities. Plant love, reap joy and live well.

Kathie Donovan
Currently a Wellings Ambassador and Living Well Advisor, Kathie was Canada’s
broadcasting sweetheart for almost three decades as well as co-host of the beloved television show Regional Contact. Kathie is a gifted storyteller who shone a light on characters and creative types tucked into small towns. Her love of connecting people, caring and sharing is inspiring. Kathie has authored two books with a third on the way; she continues to build on her annual event “Refresh Your Passion” and other workshops. Kathie’s priorities are to love what she does and live well.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

12/16/201905/03/2024

The Season of Giving

Here we go again: another Christmas season is ramping up and I wonder:

Are you ready?

I don’t mean are your gifts wrapped and under the tree. I mean are you ready for all of the silliness that comes with long to-do lists and unexpected sideswipes that can invade what should be a joyful time of year.

After all, we’re celebrating the birth of Jesus and birthdays should always be enjoyable, right?

Our challenge is perspective.

Somehow over the decades, we got lost in the wonder and magic of a Coca Cola promotion that stuck. Now for the most part, instead of the central focus of the season is about the all-important life lessons Jesus

taught like kindness, forgiveness, and compassion, at the center of Christmas is a jolly fellow in a red suit, who flies around the world delivering presents to hopeful children and adults who trust that Santa has their name on the nice list and not on the naughty list.

I love the magic and beauty of the decorations, music and special food prepared at this time of year. I have my own tradition of making a plum pudding that my Mum and God Mum made for decades and the white fruitcake that my husband’s Mum made; it wouldn’t be Christmas without them. For me now, this season is about kindness, forgiveness, and compassion the gifts you won’t find in stores…they’re one size fits all and everyone needs them.

As anticipation is building and shoppers are shopping, what I’d like to recommend is a focus on the gifts we really need in our world.

We need more presence; not presents. We need to acknowledge one another, be there and care for each other.

What about the neighbor whose child or spouse passed away or the new immigrant who might not have a community here? Could we not deliver some kindness or compassion to them over this Christmas season? How about delivering a smile to your neighbors and your family, asking how they’re doing and then really listening to the answer?

Joy and happiness are not dependant on our bank balance, our age, size, nationality or our status.

Happiness and joy are cultivated in our hearts and once shared freely with others have an amazing ripple effect.

Experts who study kindness say that even when we observe someone being kind, we benefit. So there you have it: you give a gift; you receive a gift.

This festive season, give a little bit of love to everyone you encounter.

It could be that your kindness, empathy, and compassion are the Christmas miracles that change someone’s life.

Kathie Donovan
Currently a Wellings Ambassador and Living Well Advisor, Kathie was Canada’s
broadcasting sweetheart for almost three decades as well as co-host of the beloved television show Regional Contact. Kathie is a gifted storyteller who shone a light on characters and creative types tucked into small towns. Her love of connecting people, caring and sharing is inspiring. Kathie has authored two books with a third on the way; she continues to build on her annual event “Refresh Your Passion” and other workshops. Kathie’s priorities are to love what she does and live well.

This Wellings blog by Kathie Donovan was exclusively written for Wellings Communities and appeared first on MyWellings.com.

in Healthy Aging Posted by Kathie Donovan

The Power of Compassion, Empathy and Kindness in an Uncertain World

Calming Your Mind In Stressful Times

How To Manage Living In Interesting Times

From Little Seeds Great Things Grow

The Truth about Mental Fatigue

The Art of Living Well by Decluttering

The Secret to Making Achievable New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Greetings

Plant Love; Reap Joy

The Season of Giving

Natalie Tommy

FREDDI RODIER