In accordance to jawnbc, I am responding to these questions:
+ Have your interactions with others been characterized by respect, kindness and compassion?
For the most part, yes. However, I know that when I lose patience my voice changes and because of the tenor of my voice, I sound intimidating.
+ Are you responding to life as a gift, even when the moments are unhappy?
At this point in my life, I would say yes. As I have lost friends and family to death, it has become very apparent that a small token of kindness is extremely important. I’ve had many unhappy moments and the past two years have had days of frustration however, I still wake up (and go to bed) thinking how beautiful life is and that stress, anger, and hate just cannot be part of my life.
+ Do you react to things in terms of what you can contribute, rather than what you’ll get out of them?
I guess I would have to say the former since I don’t have much to show in terms of things I’ve gotten. Today, however, I’m doing things AND thinking about what I can get out of it. No compensation doesn’t pay the bills, or provide me with some tradeoff of value that I can use down the road. And, the road has become pretty narrow, and short, these days.
+ In the areas that you’ve not kept close to these ideals, how do you make things right again?
I work as hard on these things now as I ever have. I don’t have all the answers but, honestly, I’ve always felt the urge to develop inner strength, be it intellectual or spiritual. I think I’ve not reached a level of self-satisfaction. And, as I age, I feel understanding of certain principles is just beyond my comprehension, even though I’ve tried to. Some things can only be taught through life’s experiences…