okay?” and then stick around to listen and
offer assistance or simply friendship.
When we’re in the middle of a recipe and
realize we’re short two eggs, instead of
grabbing the keys and running to the store,
we might consider knocking on our neighbor’s
door and asking if they have a couple of eggs
to spare, then returning later with a plate of
warm cookies to enjoy together.
empathy in ourselves and those around us . . .
which becomes a life overflowing in neighbor
love.
May we not wait for the transformer to blow
before we step into each other’s lives and
just sit with one another— whether it’s in the
nursing home, the front yard, or at the bus
stop.
If we’ve lost our sense of togetherness, it’s
because we have learned to rush from one
thing to the next, mind our own business, and
live a life “looking out for number one.” In doing
so, we become a society of number ones . . .
the loneliest number that you’ll ever be, as the
song goes. A life that focuses on nothing but
our own interests is a life void of empathy. But
a life rich in community, focused on others, is
a life that is naturally and continually building
Lauren Casper is writer, speaker, and amateur baker. She is
the founder of the popular blog laurencasper.com and has had
numerous articles syndicated by the Huffington Post, the TODAY
Show, Yahoo! News, and several other publications. Lauren and her
husband, John, have two beautiful children and one fluffy dog. They
make their home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
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