Hug from Dr. Leo Buscaglia
I took the day off from work today to do nothing more than recharge. Recharge my mind, body, and spirt.
So, I started off with a healthy breakfast, cued up a Phil Collins playlist, organized and edited some photos, and then I glanced over at my bookshelf, and picked up an old book, by Leo Buscaglia.
In case you aren’t familiar with him, he was an author and motivational speaker. He wrote “Love” and “Living, Loving & Learning” and another that is on my bookshelf, titled “Personhood”. He also wrote the classic fable about loss, life and death, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages.
I was reminded of a flight I was working in 1985 from JFK to Boston…Leo was one of my passengers. I was carrying his paperback Living Loving & Learning with me in my crewbag, and was thrilled to see the sparkle in his eyes match the messages he shared in his writing. His main concern was people. He wrote that he wanted nothing more than to make human contact. He also wrote that he was always on the search for “kind eyeballs”…those people who will connect with you and encourage you. I was over the moon happy to receive a warm, heartfelt hug from “Dr. Hug” after a brief conversation about how much the message of his written words meant to me. However brief, the connection I made that day is something that still brings me Joy, 30 years later.
If you get a chance, give someone a hug today. You never know how much they might need it.
The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises
~Leo Buscaglia
Bobbie Dee:What a beautiful and gentle post. Thank you!Randy
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am saving posts from my Google plus days… Plan to be dropping them here as time moves on… Thanks for reading Randy! Always good to hear from you.
LikeLike
I struggled when I was younger with the “sappy sentiments” of Buscaglia – American culture has a broad stripe of cruelty in it; consider such paragons of Americana as the “Natalie Portman Rap” or really about any skit ever made on SNL. We are cynical and in such a climate expressing a Buscagliaesque sentiment can earn you a snort or even a guffaw. But of course, he is right: we cannot be happy in our own brains until we learn to love others – not just family and close friends – but about everyone (well, maybe not Trump – though I have no doubt he could use a little love). It takes mental discipline and practice to keep a loving attitude sometimes. It is worth the effort.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember the early days of SNL… Gilda, Belushi, Akroyd… Jane Curtin, Chevy Chase…some of the best comedy ever written, admired and long remembered.
Having been accused of being overly sensitive, a lifelong “softie” and often ridiculed online for posting inspirational quotes,… I have discovered that remaining loving towards others, even and especially when I don’t like them, is actually a super power. 🙂
Thank you for your comments!
LikeLiked by 1 person