Big Cypress Fun Day

A few weeks ago we all got an e-mail about upcoming "Fun Day" on the rez.  This is a time for the entire community and all departments to get together for some relaxation and fun.  Sometimes its a carnival, sometimes its flag football.  This time around it was volleyball.  My office got a team ready and were prepared to be the champions of all departments.  There were matching sweatbands and team spirit and a lot of awkwardness seeing people in shorts that you never see in shorts.

 I was a cheerleader in the bleachers.  I did my part and clapped at the appropriate times.  I'm not much of a team sports enthusiast and I get a little embarrassed when people get all excited about things such as volleyball and winning, but I cheered on my office and supported the THPO Terminators.

Unfortunately they got beat pretty bad (I won't embarass anyone by announcing the score) but they gave it a great effort.  I also won't mention that they got beat by Team Seniors...

Kindness

My whole entire life I've been taught to love others and treat everyone with kindness. The golden rule was the Redente rule.  This is easy to do when you have a choice of who you get to spend your time with out on the playground or Friday nights during college.  But when you become an adult, you are sometimes forced to spend time with people that you would rather not.

I've always been known as "the nice girl" growing up.  I still like to think of myself as a nice person, but for awhile now I'm not sure where this "nice girl" has gone too.  In the past when someone was mean to me or rude to me, I would be nice to them.  When someone talked badly about me, I would be nice to them.  But as the years go on, I'm finding it more and more difficult to do this.  Day after day of rudeness and a sour attitude towards me and it becomes exhausting to smile and be nice.  I won't go into the boring details about how this dislike of this person has occurred, but it has become an overwhelming part of my life. 

I come home feeling disappointed in myself.  For letting unkind thoughts enter my mind and for giving up on being nice.  At church this Sunday we learned about kindness and compassion.  That the world is broken, people are broken.  We don't always know someone's situation, but it doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter that they have been having a bad day for 725 days in a row.  It doesn't matter that they don't like you back.  It doesn't matter that they are unkind.  What matters is our reaction to those people.  That love and compassion conquers all.  That an example of kindness is usually imitated and returned.  That we all have an opportunity to change all the grumpies in the world, one smile at a time. 

I have felt a tug at my heart the past few weeks.  I know that my disappointment in myself is a way to tell me to slap that smile on my face and to genuinely be nice.  I can do this.  We spend so much energy being angry and mean when that energy could be being used for good. 

The other night I pulled out some pajamas from my closet.  This usually consists of my reindeer flannel pants and an old t-shirt.  I found a shirt tucked away at the back of the shelf.  It was my gym shirt from 7th grade P.E.  It's a little worn now, but makes for some excellent sleep wear.  I unfolded it and smiled back at a big giant yellow smiley face.  In big bold black letters it reads "Just Be Nice".

Sunrise

Sunrises on the reservation are beautiful.  The sun is a fire ball of orange.  The mist is rising over the sawgrass and cypress hammocks.  The sky is full of white birds flying over the water.  It is peaceful.