let them in, we’ve got the space
There’s a lot of controversy swirling around the UK over the current policies on refugees seeking shelter in our country. These people
Read More...Tag: love thy neighbour
just say ‘i’m not educated enough’
I’m nor educated enough to understand
Your sharpened words, spat out with passion
About something that shapes the person you are.
I don’t know what to say, as I’m not in your shoes
So how can I say that you’re right or you’re wrong?
All I can say is that I haven’t a clue,
And that will have to do for today
Because the last thing I want
Is to hurt all your tribe.
I believe that we all have tribes and it helps us to get through life, to know that other people are the same as us; that they are going through the same shit as us.
But with the rise of social media, we all have opinions on each other’s tribes and we are not afraid to voice those opinions. I think that a lot of the nasty back and forth that takes place is down to the fact that we all feel as though we need an opinion.
My feeling is that it’s OK to just say I don’t know much about that, so I can’t really comment. I heard Lauren Daigle being interviewed and asked a question on homosexuality and the bible and she just said ‘I don’t know’ and I respected her for that.
There is so much talk on the internet about transgender rights and there are so many horrid things being said. The truth is, I do have an opinion, but I have never walked in the shoes of a transgender person so I feel the right thing to do is to just keep my mouth shut.
I don’t think we all need to sit on the fence about everything, but I do think that we sometimes need to just share our thoughts with our families and friends rather than publicly declaring them online.
I’m not sure how other people feel about this, but I feel like this is a simple way to make the world a little nicer. Just say ‘I don’t know’.
Much Love
Rachel xx
the best of humanity
There are some shining beacons
Out there in the darkest times,
When broken countries need some gluing
As their parts begin to scatter,
People stepping in with golden hearts
And pockets deep enough to help
And showing just how good we are.
With the awful events that are happening in Ukraine, we are starting to see wonderful people step up to the plate and do some really great things.
Our government have started a scheme where people can sign up and offer a home to refugees who are arriving in our country with nothing to their name. The people who are signing up are just marvelous human beings and I really applaud their kindness.
We saw similar efforts when COVID first hit our shores and it just goes to prove that there are some really good eggs out there. To open your home to strangers and show that kind of hospitality is truly amazing.
I must say that I wish we saw these acts publicised in normal times as they are nice to hear about and they are absolutely happening at all times, not just when everything feels like it’s crumbling around us.
Well done those people, and everyone else who looks out for others, even in the smallest of ways.
Much Love
Rachel xx
i’m probably not that nice a person
There’s a girl on my estate, a little bit chubby
And always on the field, playing football,
Normally on her own, in her own little world.
I find her annoying for no other reason
That she’s what I’d call a bit ‘sad’.
Her loneliness grates on me, and judging her weight
Is something that slides in my mind
Like marbles on a tray, there’s not much control,
I just think I’m bad, a core that is rotten
And I’m left wondering if there are others
That think they are kind, or cling to that thought
But inside their mind, they know there is something
Festering and black. Which is the real us?
The girl in this poem really exists and it makes me feel bad that I’m so cruel to her in my head. I smile at her as I jog past each day, but inside my head I’m tearing her to pieces and I’m left wondering what this really says about me?
I would never be mean like that, out loud, to anyone’s face; I want to be a good person. But sometimes these thoughts just roll into my mind, uninvited.
I’ve been spending some time thinking about why I might do this, and I’m left thinking it might be because she actually frightens me. Sometimes we see things in other people that we recognise in ourselves, and if that something is ugly or uncomfortable, it can be bloody terrifying.
What I’m saying is that I’m sure we all have those uninvited thoughts, but we probably need a bit more self love to overcome them, rather than beating ourselves up. I’m sticking to my core belief that I am a good person…
Much Love
Rachel xx
sending out a few nice reviews
I really hate the fact that as a human race we love to complain. I, myself, love a good moan every now and then. However, I’m always far more likely to moan than I am to praise, especially since the internet makes it so easy to do it anonymously.
I’m not very good at complaining face to face and I’ve been known to eat cold food and not say a thing just so that I can save myself from the awkwardness. I’ve sometimes marveled at the people who can shout about things that they don’t like. I know that it makes people feel bad, but I sometimes wish that I could yell, just to let it all out.
My strength comes in my ability to write the scathing review on a website. I can feel all of the evilness seeping out through my fingertips and it feels like a relief.
But I never seem to write nice things about people. I can think them, but I very rarely go to the trouble to write out a nice review. So I do want to start being a little bit more proactive in the nice things that I dish out to the world.
I finished reading a book last night and the author had written a letter in the back. I always love to read the acknowledgements in books, so I duly read the letter too. It basically said that the author loves to hear from people who have read her book, that it makes her day.
Normally, I would have read that and thought that an agent would pick up all of the messages and the writer would get given a few of the nicer ones. But as I read the letter, I got the feeling that it was very genuine. I imagined the author opening lovely handwritten letters and keeping them all in her office to read when she feels down.
I know that’s not the way things happen these days, but I wanted to let the writer know that I did enjoy the book so I Tweeted. It only took me a second but I like to imagine that she got a little bit of happiness from reading it. Even if I gave somebody ten seconds of happiness, surely that’s enough?
So I’m going to make a bit more of an effort to send out some nice stuff into the world. I’m going to write a nice review, or an email and if I’m feeling really brave, I might compliment someone face to face.
Much Love,
Rachel xx