Saturday, October 11, 2014

Life-Affirming Social Practices, Part 1

Our spirit is that which makes us alive. Spirit-centered living is about living from that which makes us alive. It's about saying, "Yes!" to life, not just to our own but everyone else's life too. Here are some simple social practices in three categories for affirming the spirit in others:

Social Courtesies

Social courtesies acknowledge the existence and validate other spirited beings. Social courtesies include but are not limited to the following:

Smiling
Greeting
Welcoming
Expressing genuine interest in others
Listening when others speak and not interrupting
Gift-giving, including giving compliments
Gift-receiving
Saying, "Please" and "Thank you"
Saying, "Farewell" or something similar when parting

Try This

Pick just one of the courtesies listed above and intentionally practice it today. Attend to the affect  the courtesy has on your own spirit. Attend to the affect it has on those to whom you show the courtesy.

My next post in this series will be about how supporting ourselves affirms the lives of others.

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