To Be Gentler

c Kathryn Parton

Gentleness is Not an Act

Unlike kindness, gentleness is, simply, a spirit.  When one strives to be gentle, one must strive to change their very being in order to have a spirit of gentleness.  

It is not a choice to have an act of gentleness.  It is not a choice to be gentle towards another human, gentle towards an animal, gentle towards yourself.  

It is in someone's very nature.  So how can we make a Resolution "to be gentler?"

Strength

Leo Buscaglia's quote doesn't end with his idea on cruel people.  He continues on to say that "gentleness can only be expected from the strong."

If you want to be gentle, first you have to be strong.  Strong enough to choose the harder path, strong enough to shut down your cruelness, strong enough to be gentle.  

Good thing about strength?  It is a choice to build it.  It is a choice to exercise it.  To use every available chance to strengthen your ability to respond with gentleness.

What I'm (Planning On) Doing

Thus, to fulfill my Resolution, I plan to actively work on being strong enough to pick a gentle response, even if it can't always be considered kind.  To deliver bad news gently, even if I may have understood this would be the outcome all along.  To gently steer the rambunctious little kid back to his dad as he runs around in Walmart.  To gently respond to my husband.  To gently respond to my dog peeing on the floor (a-freaking-gain.  Those medicines are a doosy on his bladder.)  

In order to be gentle, I must have strength of character.  And in order to do so, I must actively choose to be kind and must always pick the gentle response.  Character strength will follow, and gentleness will be a characteristic of mine instead of a conscious thought.

What Will You Do?

Are you already gentle?  Share with the rest of us how you do it!

Are you wishing to be gentle more often?  Reflect, meditate, pray on how to become so and follow your own path to gentleness.  If 50% of us are kind and 50% of us are gentle, my Lord, the world would become Eden once again.

Simply Happy, Incredibly Blessed.