Spread love and consideration for everyone!

Valentine's day is here again. I was just going to post some pictures in keeping with the day, but during this week I've been thinking more and more about something I read which connects to experiences I've had and also connects to love and understanding of other people, which in turn goes back to Valentines. It doesn't have to be about showing love to the people closest to you, it can be a day to remember that we should love and accept everyone else. 

I was thinking about this while making this felt heart:

What kicked off my train of thought was reading a post on Tracey-anne McCartney's blog about empaths and HSPs. If you don't already know Tracey's blog you can find it here

Tracey wrote about how highly sensitive people are misunderstood and how we would be a better society if people accepted others no matter who they are. Also, one of the identifying features of empaths is a dislike of people who don't consider the opinions of others. This is the point which chimed with me and has been swimming around in my head for a long time, because I have met quite a few people who don't consider the opinions, situation or experiences of others, one example being last year. 

Let me explain: 

I have a blind cat. He's been blind for a few years and I bought a harness with a lead which I put on him to take him for a walk in the garden. I say "take him for a walk" but actually, it's the other way round ~ he takes me. He decides when we go out, where we go and when we come back in. He's trained me well! :) I thought it would be nice for him to still go out, have fresh air and to explore without the danger of wondering off somewhere. Last summer he began taking me onto the pavement and we've since been on walks right along the road. Some days we've been out so long I considered taking a picnic. :) 

During these trips, we met a lot of people and I could divide them into two types:

There were those who would stop on their way past and say something like, 'Aw, how sweet. Is he a new cat / old / ill?' 
Then there were people who said, 'You don't see that very often!' with a smile.

The first group, in the time it had taken them to walk up to us, had obviously thought about it, taken the time to imagine why I had a cat on a lead and realised there must be a reason for it. They completely understood after I explained. 

The second group seemed to jump to a conclusion using their own opinions and perspective and hadn't been able to consider the situation from my point of view. They obviously thought I was just a mad cat woman. Some, to their credit, once I'd explained why my cat was on a lead, realised the whole point and said things like, 'Oh, that's nice.' But one or two just said 'Oh', and walked away~ or drove away, as some of them stopped in their cars ~as though they didn't like being proven wrong in their perception of me. 

The point I'm trying to make with this, is that everyone is different, with different experiences and situations, doing things differently, but some people don't understand that. How often have you heard someone say, 'If I were her....' or 'I think he should.....' or 'Why don't they.....'? It seems to me that people who say these things or think they know what's going on just by looking at someone, are judging others by their own lives and not imagining beyond themselves to consider what those people might be going through, the experiences they've had in their lives or the situation they may be in which is making them do or not do something.

As a society, we are too quick to jump to conclusions. It would be wonderful if everyone could put themselves in other people's shoes, realise that others are different and that it's a good thing. Maybe it would lead to greater understanding. Life would be boring if we were all the same and did things in the same way. We need to spread love and consideration for all humans ~ and all animals too.

Spread love and consideration for all.

 Speaking of animals, here's a photo of the robin that's been in my garden since the summer. I call him Robbie. Very original! 

He's been joined by another robin recently and as robins aren't meant to tolerate another in their territory, I assume it's a Mrs Robbie. I hope they're happy and we'll be seeing chicks soon. 

Happy Valentine's Day to all.