The world needs a lil’ TLC

Last weekend, five days after World Toilet Day was celebrated, we replaced the cracked toilet seat in one of the bathrooms in our house. It began as a teeny-weeny hairline crack that only bothered the very heavy people who sat on it, hence it went unnoticed for several months. But that small crack evolved into a huge one that threatened to bite, so we had no choice but to change it. We finally found the new toilet seat at a bathroom specialist store, and my hubby, of course, was the one designated to replace the seat. And now, the new toilet seat is sitting prettily in our bathroom *throne*, and all thoughts of the old cracked one is forgotten.

It is so easy to fix non-living things, isn’t it? As long as there are spare parts and accessories, and as long as money can buy them, we can always replace or repair broken items. It is not so, however, with the human heart, I’m afraid. Wounds dealt to the fragile heart, emotional ones especially, heal with much difficulty and often leave scars as painful reminders of the *injury*. And isn’t it almost always true that we tend to hurt the ones we love? It’s like the more we love someone, the more we tend to hurt him/her. Maybe it’s because we know them so well that we take them for granted. The thing is, after that the pain sets in and regret engulfs us, so much so that we wish we could retract our actions and words… but it just doesn’t work that way, does it? It is difficult sometimes, but we must remember that every one of us has different characteristics, and that will definitely be the ingredients that might create conflict. However, it is the differing opinions and conflicts that really tests our strength in character. The results are seen in how we deal with any situation in hand. I too have been guilty in reacting in a rash manner, only to regret my actions after that. But I am trying my best to be a better person, and I am using these three points to help me along. I call them my own personal TLC.

Tolerance
To tolerate someone’s mannerism means to accept that person unconditionally, faults and all. When that someone makes you angry, try not to lash out immediately at that person, rather try to calm down and reflect on what you want to say first. Sometimes what you want to retort immediately might be due to something else that you are feeling at that moment, that does not even concern the person you are going to say it to.

Love
In any situation, love is the most important aspect of all. Show love in all that you do, in what you say and what you think. Always remember what the Bible says: “The greatest of these is LOVE.” I couldn’t agree more. Never ever use the word HATE in whatever you say. Although you might feel like saying it, what you say will come back and haunt you for the rest of your life.

Concern
When all else fails, show your concern by offering a loving hand and a comforting touch. These will work wonders where no words can heal, believe me. Just reach out and hug that special someone. Even virtual ones count these days. A hug says “I care, I love you for who you are.” And a hug is definitely therapeutic.

At the end of the day, a broken heart is nothing like a broken toilet seat for it can never be repaired to its original state. So make sure that the hairline crack never appears.