Increasing Good Will in the World

From Two WorldWisdom School's list of 108 spiritual laws, The Law of Good Will says that we are responsible for increasing the amount of good will circulating in the world. When I put on my work hat, I call myself a "Soul Coach", a "Spiritual Coach" or even sometimes a "Spiritual Director" therefore I spend several hours a day within a circle of prayer with people who are seeking spiritual growth, healing and wisdom for their lives. During these hours it is easy for me to feel like I am increasing the amount of good will in the world. However, what about all the other hours of my day? Am I able to increase the good will when the pond maintenance company charges me for five hours of labor when I know that their young worker was only here for 2 1/2 hours? Am I able to increase the amount of good will when I am around people who are full anger and negativity for prolonged amounts of time? I find it much harder to increase good will in these difficult situations.

As I was thinking about this, the visual of a puppy came to my mind. Have you ever noticed that puppies are "negativity eaters"? It is very difficult to be grouchy, angry and full of negativity around a bouncy, happy puppy. This is why they use dogs and other animals as therapy tools in hospitals and long-term care facilities. It is as if the unconditional love and acceptance of an animal who is truly living within the moment without judgement is able to pull most people up to a new level of positivity.

So this week, as I have held this law in my heart and have spent time on building an intention to send good will into the world even through difficult situations, I have kept this visual of the puppy before me. Then as I dealt with the pond care company, I tried to stay in the moment, have no expectations of the outcome, be cheerful, accepting and loving and just state the facts as I see them. What I have experienced in return is a happiness within myself that I have increased the good will within that particular situation, mostly kindness and a willingness to be helpful on the other side of the situation and a contentment that even if I don't get a decrease on my bill, I have spoken my truth without adding negative energy into the situation and the world.

My husband and I attend a Spiritual book club that meets before the church services at the church where we attend. During the summer, we discuss a pre-chosen movie instead of a chapter of a book. This week, our selected movie was "Pay it Forward" with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt. The story follows a young boy's attempt to change the world by doing something difficult to help three people and then asking those people to "pay it forward" and help three more people. This seemed to be a great movie illustration of this Law of Good Will. What I found the most interesting about the story is that the boy, for much of the movie, felt that he had completely failed to increase the amount of good will on the earth - whereas, in reality, he had begun a great movement that touched the lives of hundreds of people for good. Therefore, it is very possible that we will never know how much impact we have on the world by simply living in a manner that seeks to add good will to every situation in which we find ourselves.

Seek to increase the amount of good will in all the situations that you find yourself in today. It will not only make you feel better emotionally and physically, but you just might make the world a more pleasant place in which to live.

Father's Day

When I think of the ideal of the word "father", words come to mind such as protector, provider, role-model, teacher. I think of words like strength, resourcefulness and integrity. I think of the character of Charles Ingalls, Laura's father in "The Little House on the Prairie" series. The resourceful Mr. Ingalls could build anything, fix anything or seemingly grow anything. He would get up at dawn, work hard at physical labor all day, yet keep everyone safe and still have energy and patience left over to spend the evenings playing his fiddle, singing, telling stories and teaching life lessons to his daughters. It seems that he was able to be all things masculine and strong while still being safe, wise and loving. . . a seemingly perfect example of a father.

Whether Laura's father was really that perfect, or whether those were just her near-perfect memories of him, the truth is that most of our fathers were not present in our lives like the Little House father was in his children's lives. In order to make a living, most dads need to spend a great deal of time away from home. There is way too much knowledge in the world at this point for any dad to know everything or to be able to be capable in all areas of life. Dangers are not as clear as wolves slinking around the cabin. . . it is much more difficult for dads to keep their children safe and unharmed. Life is just way more complex; therefore fathering is more complicated.

When I was a very small girl, my father maintained a small ranch plus juggled 2 or 3 other jobs in order to make ends meet. In fact, my father worked very hard during all of my growing up years. . . to the point where I felt almost abandoned. Yet, on the evenings that he made it home and when he was not too tired or too stressed, my dad truly knew how to play. He taught me numerous card games. He would wrestle and chase, tickle and laugh. He would get in the car for no other reason than to go explore a new place. He was the one adult in my life who could really let go and have fun.

For many of my adult years, I have focused on how absent my father was from my young life. . .this focus was necessary in order for me to understand my pain and to heal it. However, there comes a point where it is time to rewrite the past - to stop focusing on the bad and refocus on the gifts that our fathers were able to give to us.

Therefore, I would like to honor my father for giving me the gift of laughter and fun. I would like to honor my children's father for giving them the gift of nature and the love of outdoor sports and activities. I would like to honor my husband for giving his kids the gift of music and play. I would like to honor all fathers for the gifts that they were able to give to their children in spite of the fact that none of them could attain that ideal of the "perfect" father.

Happy Father's Day, 2009!