I’m not sure how many people care. I mean, give a shit about stuff like being a good person, being honest and kind, having manners, and the like. How many of us work at being a decent person? I know I do. I’m not writing that with a cocky attitude; just letting you know that I work on being a better person every single day since I can’t remember when.

As a kid, I was a good kid. I followed instructions, was scared of authority and parents, and was impressionable to feeling low self-esteem from repeated doses of negativity and wrong messaging. I used to blame the Catholic church for adding to my fears and insecurities, but it was not the religion. It was the church, the priest there, and the people there. I never ever felt at home at St. Rocco’s Roman Catholic church as a child. Going to mass there or any other type of function produced a tremendous amount of anxiety for me. I’m just sayin’.

I had to move on and I am so glad that I did.

I pay attention and pick up all kinds of vibrations from people. If we slow our thoughts down and focus on our surroundings, we will be surprised by what we can see, hear, smell, and feel. Anyway, I used to think I was a good judge of character by the way I felt around people, but I was also picking up their energy—their vibration. If you pay close attention, you can feel evil or apathy.

If we go just a little more in our lives, we can make huge strides toward being decent human beings. I’m not referring to being a pushover and doing for others in spite of yourself. I mean, we all have to think before we act. So many of us just spew out words, not giving them a second thought. There’s no regard for how the other person feels at all. That’s where we can go just a little more.

We can think before we act.

We can think before we tell someone something negative.

We can think and use common manners.

We can say “thank you” anytime someone does something for us or is kind. Man, why is this so difficult anymore? It’s scary how more and more manners are leaving our culture. I’ve seen current shows on television geared toward children that do not write in manners into the script. Kids are sponges. They do what they absorb. Parents need to reinforce manners with children. AND… this the biggest thing we ought to do – call out people who do not say “thank you.” Make them aware that it is not okay. If more people did that, we’d keep good manners going. We don’t have to shame anyone for not saying it or being angry. Just point out kindly that a “thank you” goes a long way to being a good person.

We can interact with each other with kindness instead of with an attitude of superiority. Because guess what? Those who speak to others (or maybe just some people they don’t respect) with a superiority complex, bullies if you will, are doing that because no one calls them out on it. Please don’t put up with disrespect and let the other person know about it. I had never said a single wrong word to my grandmother, who was mean to me and spoke to me like I was dumb and not worthy of anything good. I respected her, but she did not respect me. That is unacceptable.

Go just a little more when you are angry and want to lash out. Instead, take a deep breath, be grateful for something, and be in control of your actions to interact with more restraint.

We don’t need to give away our pain to others. That’s a selfish, childish move that doesn’t help anyone. So, stop it. If we have pain, we need to do something about it, not just bitch about it and spread that negativity to others. Fix the problem. I’ve been fixing body pain issues for years. I get rid of one, and then another one comes. I do something about it. I go just a little more to take control of my good health. We deserve good health.

Go just a little more when you want to escape and separate yourself from your pain. The only way to get rid of the pain is to face it, embrace it, and then do something about it. Physical therapy places are there for physical pain, and I’ve gotten great help at them. The problem for me is that I don’t always follow through with the home exercise program, and that’s on me. If I feel pain, that’s on me, not anyone else, because I know that doing the exercises does help. Face the pain and do something about it. Don’t suffer. There are great gels that work for muscle aches; volteran gel, an anti-inflammation gel sold at Walmart, Target, and drug stores, is absolutely wonderful for joint pain, but you have to be consistent, and heating pads, ice packs, and doing exercises all really help with pain. Also, rest and listen to your body.

Go just a little more when you want to bail on someone. Think about what you want and override insecurity and excuses. Make decisions based on what feels right for you. It can hurt but our happiness will take higher priority.

Go just a little more when you want to be helpful to someone else. Think before you speak. Let others figure out stuff for themselves. They’ll be happier for it. We don’t want to be fixed. We want to be supported.

All these ideas I’m writing about are going to help us be happy because it is self-rewarding to be a good person who cares. What we give out, we get back.

Thank you for reading this and for giving my writing some of your precious time. I write these words to share my knowledge and experiences for the purpose of making the world a better place.

To going just a little more,

Francesca