Seek The Good In Others And A Little Story About Our Son

Sunday is Fun Day: Seek The Good In Others And A Little Story About Our Son

Some quick ponderings on how to seek the good in others and a brief story about our son Dylan (14), baseball, and our Rotary Club.

(No transcript today.)

One addition: Seeking the good in others works everywhere: in your family, with friends, and with your team.

I even venture to say it works with people you currently might not feel so fond of. You just might find them to be nicer than you thought.

I’m Curious

What is something good you could see in someone else?

Transcript

Greetings. Here is Dr. Stephie. Sunday is fun day. Just in time, I got my fancy new microphone, which you can admire right here. It’s got even lighting effects. Today, I just want to share something real quick with you about finding the best in each other.

Finding Goodness in Teenagers

For example, if you have a teenager, you know they can go through ups and downs, and that’s just part of growing up. 

But what’s important is that we look for opportunities to see good and not just notice things that we want to be better, like cleaning up their room or listening better, but find opportunities to praise the things that are working. 

For example, we were at a baseball game yesterday. My son loves to go after those foul balls. He has given away those foul balls to young children the last several times. This time, he was looking at a boy who had his birthday, but that boy had already gotten a foul ball. 

So, my son ended up giving the ball to a police officer. The police officer was quite startled, wondering why is this kid giving me a foul ball? My son explained that he wanted to give it to someone deserving. The police officer was very touched. He asked our son Dylan to sign the ball for him, which was a new experience for him.

Rotary Club Experiences and Principles

I wanted to share another thing that has greatly touched my heart. During the summer, my son has been going with me to Rotary Club meetings. Our Rotary Club is extremely special to me. Many of my friends are from that Rotary Club, and I’ve met many new people through it. It is very special to me that my son, Dylan, is going with me, meeting those people, and just soaking in the spirit of this organization. 

The Club is about service above self and friendship as a strong foundation. 

With that, I want to leave you this Sunday with the four-way test that we always say at Rotary. These are the four things we think, say, or do: 

  1. First, is it the truth? 
  2. Second, is it fair to all concerned? 
  3. Third, will it build goodwill and better friendships?
  4. And fourth, will it be beneficial to all concerned? 

I think all four of these are great questions! I am grateful that I get to soak in these questions every week, which is a great reminder. I’m even more grateful that recently my son has been exposed to these principles, too. It is great to hear it not just from the parents because sometimes teenagers are not so open to what their parents tell them. But when others say it to them, it sometimes sinks in differently.

Conclusion: Seeking Goodness in Others Feels Good

Seek the good in others, wherever you can find it because it will amplify it and make you feel good. See you tomorrow.

Dr. Stephie

P.S.: I appreciate you commenting and sharing this with others. Thank you!

Stephie Althouse

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