When I launched this Cup o’ Kindness “series” on December 1, I had no idea what I was doing, exactly, or where I was headed with it. I had a few ideas and a very loose schedule, but not much else. All I knew is that I was feeling pretty sad and dark and depleted . . . and that I needed to do something to counter all that. I knew I needed a boost. And I knew most of my friends needed a boost, too. So I challenged myself to . . . well . . . to send a ripple of kindness out into the world. To remind myself – and maybe some of you, too – that we’re still here and we’re still standing and we still care.

That we could still . . . show up!
That we could be the very boost we need!

And it’s kind of worked, in a way, for me. It’s been twenty-three days now . . .  of looking for hope and seeking uplift. Twenty-three days of protecting my peace and making-it-so. Twenty-three days of shining my light. And all of that has actually done a lot of good for my outlook. 

And, yes. I know “the landscape” remains dark and dreary. I know bad news hovers in its constant, relentless, insidious way. But I am choosing to show up anyway. For myself. For my family and friends. For all of you who connect with me here in BlogLand. 

I went into this month feeling untethered and disconnected. I’m feeling a little better now, coming out the other end. Stronger. Determined. I feel like I’ll be able to pick my way forward in the dark now, and that maybe I have some tools that will come in handy after all.

I hope my posts this month have helped you feel a little better, too. I hope you know that you are not alone. And that we can boost each other and shine our lights for each other and try outrageous things together. We can keep doing all the good we can and we can work on building up our kindness muscles and we can remind each other to stop to fill our cups. (We can give each other gold stars, too.) (Check! Check! Check!)

Because we are not alone.
We’re still here and we’re still standing and we still care.

My final December Cup o’ Kindness post will come tomorrow, but I plan to continue sharing occasional “cups o’ kindness” through the new year. Not on a daily basis, for sure, but (kinda, probably, somewhat) on the regular. I know I still need them. Maybe you do, too.

Keep showing up, my friends.
For yourselves and for each other.

“There comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other.”

     — Wangarĩ Maathai

Come.
Fill your cup.

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Wangarĩ Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.