Dare to Care

To care is to reach out and cross over the threshold into the world of acceptance or rejection. To care is to see, identify, embrace and extend a hand. Caring is one of the ultimate learning experiences of humanity….while it may seem easy, once one gets started it involves quite a bit of courage.

To say “I love you,” easily rolls off the tongue, it is the next stage where the proof is in the pudding…are we willing to back the words up? Are we willing to dare to care? Once one steps forward into the minefield of life, caring can easily surround us with expressions of acceptance and rejection, yet, if we choose to not express our love, are we truly alive? In a world where joy and pain at times seem to walk hand in hand, it is quite easy to understand why some abandon the expression of caring.

I believe deep inside we all have a caring threshold. Subconsciously we ask ourselves, “How much am I willing to observe until I feel forced to act?” In a crowded mall out of the corner of our eye we may see a crying child searching for his or her mother. Do we keep walking, or do we walk over and care? Or the relative who has been diagnosed with a disabling affliction or disease…how long do we wait to pick up the phone and call? Crisis can be the alarm bell for caring, but does it have to get to that point for us to say, “I love you?” Each day can bring its own blessings and obstacles, and indeed, life can seem quite unfair…still, the more who care, the less we hurt.

If at the end of our days, all we show is an advanced intellect, with a barren well of emotion, do we become an oasis that never actually materializes? Do we reach our full potential? The head and heart, they can be friend or foe. The act of caring can improve with age…the alternative is a notebook full of regrets and missed moments. While we may never truly master the art of caring, by practicing it we grow to learn quite a bit about ourselves and those we love.

Dare to care…dare to share…here, there, and everywhere…