The Pipe Is Lit
29 August 2021 – Kindness and always being there. I find these two things to be the most important qualities of my journey through life. I am not rich so I can’t give you everything you want or need. I am not talented so I can’t create great art or music. I am not a genius so I am not going to find a cure for cancer or solve world hunger. What I can do and what I strive to do well is to be exceptionally kind and to always be there when I am needed. We tend to give to others what we value ourselves and to me, these are the greatest gifts.
Although antiquated for 2021, this quote from C.M. Russell encapsulates the values I find most important: Kindness and Presence. I was introduced to C.M. Russell when I was a child living in Montana. He was the original cowboy artist and lived and worked in Montana. A museum that includes his home is located in Great Falls and the local high school is named for him. Despite being an internationally acclaimed artist, he values friendship more. Russell lived from 1864 to 1926 and was able to cultivate friendships with everyone he met and inspire loyalty from a diverse group of individuals. Russell had a gift for storytelling and humor but he also wrote illustrated letters to friends that showed his kind, caring, sensitive heart. He was friends with neighbors, other artists, fellow luminaries and members of the North Plains tribe.
You may not carry an actual war bag and I may not lay down a robe or light a pipe, but these words could be no more true if I had written them. I am always here, my door is always open, I always have an extra bed or couch, and I always have what you need most, a heart that cares. Like Russell’s life on the Western Frontier, our lives are full of uncertainty and distance. Despite being more connected than ever, we tend to have more barriers to communication. A true friend cares for you unconditionally and will always open the door to you or answer your call.
Kindness is a universal language that we don’t speak often enough. Being present for other people is essential for their well-being. A broken world and its broken people need more kindness. Are you connecting with those you love and care about? Are you available for them? Always? Do the people you love know that they can pack away their troubles and come to you because you are ready for them? Be sure others know you are there and you care – always.