Beth Williamson Ruse

Five summers ago I needed to get an MRI. The waiting room was crowded and as I sat there, I observed an older gentleman. He sat with his eyes closed and his hand over his heart. After a few moments, he opened his eyes, and as he did, our eyes met and we smiled at each other.

He paused for a moment as if he was going to say something to me. So, I remarked to him that I was a bit nervous about climbing into the MRI tube, and his smile was JUST what I needed to see.

Smiling again, he told me that whenever his wife was nervous about a medical test . He remarked that she swore by this practice, for in doing so, she instantly felt calmer and more at ease. He went on to say that this is what he had been doing before, closing his eyes, feeling all of the love that he had in his heart and quietly sending that love out to those of us in the waiting room.

Touched, I remarked that he and his wife were beyond lucky to have one another. He told me that his wife passed away a few years back, but that he always felt her presence. With that, his name was called and he wished me luck with my MRI and gave me one last smile.

As I continued waiting, I closed my eyes, placed my hand over my heart, felt all of the love in my life, and quietly sent it out to those around me, both the patients and the medical staff.

And you know what? It worked. I felt calmer, and more at ease. More importantly, I was filled with gratitude for meeting the gentleman who shared the love in his heart with me.

Since that time, and through many challenging times I have practiced this, and it has helped me tremendously. And looking at the research of Emma Seppälä at Stanford University- the science shows that this practice benefits our physical and emotional health- as well as that of those around us.

And considering all that is going on in this world, I feel that each of us, our communities and our world as a whole could use some more love. Way more love.

And while it will not solve all the problems, it can and does make a difference in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Plan for the day: Send love out into the world.

Who’s with me?

Several years ago, I went to the grocery store with my dad, the day before Thanksgiving here in the States.

To say our excursion was a gong show would be an understatement. Between the bumper –to-bumper traffic driving to the store, the lack of parking once we arrived, and the crankiness of my fellow last-minute shoppers it was a gong show with a capital G.

After navigating all the craziness along the aisles of the store, I finally made my way to the end of what seemed like a never-ending line. Standing there, I let out a long sigh; I felt tired, and a bit worse for the wear.

But then when I got to the front of the line, I saw one of my favorite cashiers working the register. When she looked up she smiled widely and exclaimed, “I was JUST thinking about you this morning.” She went on to tell me that someone in her apartment building placed sticky notes on everyone’s mailboxes with inspirational quotes and she loved one so much she had taken time to write it down.

While I was pulling out my wallet to pay, she showed me the piece of paper she had tucked into her pocket with the quote she loved. It was a Maya Angelou quote and it read: Be present in all things and thankful for all things.

A smile spread across my face, for that is one of my favorite quotes. I was beyond touched and we both reached out to hug one another over the counter as we exchanged wishes for happy Thanksgivings.

I started to navigate my cart towards the exit and as I did, I looked up to see my dad, newspaper tucked under one arm, coffee in hand, grinning his infamous grin in my direction. And again, I found a smile spreading across my face.

It was then that I realized the wisdom of Maya Angelou’s words. For if we are present, in the moment at hand, even amid the gong show of life, more times than not, we can find something in our lives for which to be thankful.

Because at that moment in time my heart was filled to the brim with appreciation, gratitude, and love.
And more than three years later, that moment and that quote have stayed with me. A gift in and of itself.

Plan for the day: Be present. Be thankful.

Wishing you all so much love as you gather with those near and dear to your heart.