The best cure for worry, depression, melancholy, brooding, is to go deliberately
forth and try to lift with one’s sympathy the gloom of somebody else. — Arnold Bennett
As my Yoga instructor helped me twist and turn, I discovered a new muscle I didn’t know I had and badly needed stretching. As I complained about the pain, she told me to be grateful for little aches and pains. Things could be a lot worse, and of course I knew she was right.
A little bit of information about Arnold Bennett. He was the JK Rowling of his day, his books sold in huge numbers, he was a figure of huge influence in politics and culture, a friend of the newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook, and declined a knighthood after notable service running the French propaganda department for the British government during World War I.When Bennett lay dying from typhoid in his flat at Chiltern Court above Baker Street station in 1931, London’s city authorities laid straw on the streets to dull the noise. It was testament to his status as a great national figure. He even has an omelette named after him at the Hotel Savoy.
Bennett’s words run so true. I know from personal experience and so do you.Like my newly found knot in my back muscle, I could complain or moan, or do something about it. The best way to forget about our own aches, pains, or worries is to go forth and help or comfort someone who makes our complaints trivial.
This weekend is a perfect time to start. Go forth and lift the gloom of someone else. I guarantee you will find your spirits lifted. Maybe take someone for an omelette.
Leave a Reply +