Self-Induced...

A friend of mine recently messaged me with such sadness I haven't heard in a long time from anyone. She was watching a video she really shouldn't have watched (we've all done this in one form or another), and it saddened her so much she was in tears. So, being the caring friend I am, I couldn't let her cry, so I do what I do best - make people laugh. When online, I find the best way to do this is to go on youtube and laugh at some adorable little kittens, which usually works. It sure did this time as we both were laughing so hard at some of the cute little babies, some only a couple weeks old, were trying to learn how to walk, playfighting with siblings, and all-around running around like cats on way too much caffeine!
This brings to mind many a time when I've done the same thing my dear friend of mine did. It's usually a song I shouldn't have listened to that brought back too many painful memories, or watching too much of the news on a particularly depressing day. We've all done it... we know better, but we do it anyways, or sometimes it just catches us off guard and we just can't make ourselves walk away in time.
My Mom used to always tell me something along the lines of "it's not about the life you've got, it's what you make of it that counts." The same principle applies here. Don't dwell on the sadness. Make yourself walk away and use that experience to make yourself stronger. Watch some kittens, read a book, take a walk, anything to forget about what you just saw/heard/read. It's not about how you cry, it's about how you recover.
And I got to experience this myself. This is important.
Mr. Cat got to see me online on the worst night in my life - the night that I'd found out my Mom was gone. In the midst of all my grief, knowing EXACTLY what I was going through, he gave me the best medicine of all - laughter. How he did this, it's hard to describe. It's a talent I think. But even in grief, you must laugh. It took him a while, but he did have me laughing between crying fits. This is a great gift that I was able to pass on a year or two ago when another dear friend of mine lost her beloved Dad. She told me the same thing I told Mr. Cat - I don't know how you did it, but thanks, I really needed that.
So I ask this of you tonight, before I go to bed for a very early morning tomorrow. Are you using your gifts selfishly? Or are you sharing them with the rest of the world? If you see a friend crying, PLEASE, at least offer a shoulder or a hug. And if you're good at making people laugh, pass along this gift, this gift I give to you now, it MUST be passed on. Life is too short for it to be so painful for so many. Let's try to make this world a little LESS painful for once!