Theme: Be G-K-O

Thought for the week: Empathy is the cornerstone of kindness, allowing us to understand and connect with others on a deeper level. (Gabriel Wilensky)

I had breakfast the other day with my workout friend from the Y, Joe. Aside from the misguidedness of being a Boston area sports team fan, he’s a really good guy.

During breakfast we discussed quite a few things including his new hour-long walking regime, sports, the state of the nation, our families, and some of the new-fangled inventions associated with Artificial Intelligence.

AI has a lot of great applications for us. Among other things it can help us optimize our exercise so we can balance it with the rest of our life activities.

But as smart as AI is there is one element of life I doubt it will ever replace; how we interact with our fellow humans. Just like last week when my Uncle Bob had some words of life wisdom, Joe offered some great advice for how we live our lives.

Be G-K-O; Generous, Kind and Optimistic

Be Generous: Be thankful for all that God has provided to each of us and approach life with an open hand. Be lavish with your praise of other’s accomplishments, and if you have the means, financially support those who serve us in so many ways. Encouraging verses: Acts 20:35 and Luke 6:38

Be Kind: This one is often the probably the hardest of all. Take the default position of compassion; you do not know the other person’s circumstance. Encouraging verses: Matthew 8:1-4, Luke 19:1-10, Luke 6: 35-36

Be Optimistic: As we grow older, we long for a time when things didn’t seem so difficult. We often wonder if the world will be the same for our children and grandchildren. I’m fairly certain our grandparents said the same thing when they were our age. Encouraging verses are Joshua 1:9, John 14:27.

So, Joe, here’s to your outstanding take on how to live our lives. When in doubt, be G-K-O!

Have a GREAT Week!