{"id":7631,"date":"2017-06-30T07:09:31","date_gmt":"2017-06-30T13:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=7631"},"modified":"2017-06-30T07:09:31","modified_gmt":"2017-06-30T13:09:31","slug":"a-vacation-breakthrough-that-led-to-a-healthier-happier-family-kindness-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2017\/06\/30\/a-vacation-breakthrough-that-led-to-a-healthier-happier-family-kindness-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"A Vacation Breakthrough that Led to a Healthier, Happier Family & Kindness for All"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While we were crabbing one night during our beach vacation, my 10-year-old daughter suddenly turned away from her sister and cousins\u2019 joyful antics. They had managed to catch a ghost crab and were admiring it in the bucket. Although it would be turned loose shortly, Avery couldn\u2019t bear to watch. The next night, it was the fishes the kids were catching in their colorful pails that troubled her.<\/p>\n

Avery took me off to the side. With tears in her eyes she said, \u201cI really don\u2019t like us catching any critters, but especially the ones that travel in herds.\u201d<\/p>\n

I remained silent about \u201cherds\u201d and just let her keep talking. I could see this topic was important to her, and she was quite distressed. \u201cWhat if that captured fish can\u2019t find its family when he gets put back in the ocean?\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n

I understood completely. My heart is wired that way for animals, too, but Avery would soon make a profound statement indicating just how much she cares about animals.<\/p>\n

It happened the next evening when our families went to dinner. While seated at the table with eleven others, Avery studied the plated food that had just arrived. Looking ill, she discreetly asked me to accompany her to the restroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t look at that chicken or that shrimp,\u201d she said as tears began to spill from her eyes. \u201cI want to be a vegetarian, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was not expecting this so I was not prepared with a response, but I knew there was only one correct response: Support<\/em>. I could see the determination in her eyes, and I would not stand in her way.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have such a loving heart for animals and people,\u201d I said hugging her. \u201cIt is both a beautiful thing and a hard thing to care so deeply. I hear what you are saying. I don\u2019t know a lot about vegetarianism, but we can learn together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relief in my child\u2019s face indicated that was a good response. The next day, her excitement was palpable as we searched online food lists and reviewed vegetarian guidelines. Huddled together at a little coffee shop, we talked about how we would ensure she got proper nutrition and sources of protein. Avery eagerly accepted my request for help with food prep and meal planning.<\/p>\n

As we were about to wrap up our research, she suddenly became solemn. \u201cWill it make a difference? I mean, everyone else around me will still be eating meat. Can one person not eating meat still help animals?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

It was another tough question, but I was pretty sure I knew this one. \u201cWell, first of all, you will be following your heart and that will give you peace of mind. Living true to your beliefs and your heart is very important,\u201d I said. \u201cBut will it make a difference? Yes. I think so. Kids and adults will see what you are doing, and you will inspire others to think about animals or about standing up for something they believe in. Your life is a message, Avery. The way you live, speaks volumes. And now one of your messages is: \u2018Kindness for Animals\u2019 and that will <\/em>make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I don\u2019t think it was any coincidence that Avery and I came back to the vacation rental and began a special project with her sister and nephews that has intrigued me ever since I read about it. The movement is called Kindness Rocks<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sitting on the back porch of our rental that rainy afternoon, I explained to my daughters and nephews that people throughout the world are decorating and hiding Kindness Rocks<\/em> for others to find. Each rock contains a positive word or message. Before we got started decorating, we talked about what messages we could write on our rocks. We also talked about what finding one of these rocks would do for someone\u2019s heart or outlook on life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would make the person happy,\u201d my six-year-old nephew Sam said. Everyone agreed and eagerly dove in. Despite ages ranging from four to fourteen, these kids got into this project. I found it particularly powerful that they knew exactly what messages people need to hear \u2026<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Be You<\/p>\n

\u00b7 You\u2019re Beautiful<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Shine On<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Forgive<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Give Someone a Hug<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Love Always Wins<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Only Love Today<\/p>\n

\u00b7 You Are Loved
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On our last day of vacation, the kids and I walked into the little beach town to hide the rocks. I watched as they carefully considered placement of the rocks for people to find \u2013 in trees, on street signs, on ledges, and on outdoor tables at the coffee shop. Interestingly, not one child mentioned holding on to a rock they had put much time and love into\u2014they wanted to give them away. I also noticed there were no squabbles or complaints during that time. Happy moods prevailed as they imagined someone finding their rock and how it might impact their day.
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Later that night, we retraced our steps to see if any rocks had been moved. The cousins delighted in seeing most of their rocks were still in place, just waiting for a heart in need of a lift. As a last-minute decision, we happened to go by the coffee shop. I overheard a man say to his friend in a puzzled tone, \u201cIt was just here when we got here.\u201d<\/p>\n

I watched him gently roll the colorful rock in his fingers smiling as he took in the uplifting message: Thank You (front) <\/em>For Being You (back)<\/em>. Little Evan had set his special rock there four hours earlier. As the man turned to leave, he put the rock back down on the table. It wasn\u2019t that he didn\u2019t want it \u2014 that is just simply how kindness works. After you see it, feel it, or experience it, you feel empowered to pass it on. You feel responsible to keep kindness alive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Over the past three weeks, Avery has slowly been telling friends and even strangers she is a vegetarian. Each one has been supportive and curious. I watch as she proudly explains what it means and why it\u2019s important to her. I notice she is happy, happier than I have seen in a while as she follows her heart\u2019s calling. Each time she sits down to her non-meat meal or cuts vegetables for our meals, I am inspired by her message. In fact, I could no longer bear to sit at the table and drink chemicals from a soda can. My nephew Sam saw me guzzling a Coke Zero in the vacation rental after I\u2019d promised him at his grandfather\u2019s funeral that I would quit. Between my broken promise to Sam and Avery\u2019s commitment to the lives of animals, I am successfully breaking a long-held diet soda addiction. I am six days diet soda free, and I sense profound changes happening in my body. Most remarkably, I have slept through the past two nights without any night terrors. This is profound. My nighttime anxieties have been debilitating for several years. Who knew the soda was causing them? This single benefit will undoubtedly change my life \u2013 perhaps even save it.<\/p>\n

From what we put in our bodies, to words we speak, to issues we stand for, our lives are messages and what we do each day inspires others. I witnessed it on The Hands Free Revolution Facebook page<\/a> this week. Sharing the Kindness Rocks<\/em> project in a post inspired hundreds of people to form their own rock painting groups. Photo upon photo of beautiful rocks were posted in the comments.<\/p>\n

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Sharing my desire to break my diet soda addiction in another post inspired hundreds of people to speak about their desire to break unhealthy habits and join me. The comment thread contained hundreds of beautiful encouragements and suggestions to me and to each other.
\n\"\"<\/a>What made me most emotional were the comments from the people who have actually found Kindness Rocks<\/em> along their path. Just as my nephew suspected, that rock felt divinely planted and made the person feel happy. I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about those who will find the rocks my family planted around Rosemary Beach three weeks ago. I think about one particular person especially\u2014the one whose burden feels extra heavy, whose heart is especially weary, who might be thinking of ending life. I think about how he or she will spot a colorful rock in the unlikeliest of places.<\/p>\n

It might be Natalie\u2019s rock \u2013 the one that says, \u201cDance in the rain<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might be Avery\u2019s rock \u2013 the one that says, \u201cHold on<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might be Sam\u2019s rock \u2013 the one that says, \u201cPeace<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might be Evan\u2019s rock \u2013 the one that says, \u201cDo not kick<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I think about how that rock will create a divine perspective shift\u2014from negative thoughts to positive ones. With renewed purpose, that person will keep walking, now looking for a rock of her own to paint. She will get home and spend some time deep in thought with some paint and a paintbrush. As she thinks about what positive word or phrase to inscribe on the rock, it will be felt in her bones. And for the first time in a long time, she will remember her life is a message, and it's one worth saving.<\/p>\n

\u201cI choose love. I choose life,\u201d <\/em>she will write on that rock.<\/p>\n

And like an excited little kid, she go outside and place that rock along her path for someone to find.<\/p>\n

And just like that, another ripple of kindness is born, reminding us that one person can<\/em> make a difference \u2013 a life-saving difference.<\/p>\n

Just imagine what would happen if we all commit to keeping kindness alive?<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt was just here when I got here<\/em>,\u201d people will say because kindness will start to grow like weeds.<\/p>\n

And the happy herds will keep moving together toward the light.<\/p>\n

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**************************************************<\/p>\n

My friends, as my family and I work through these new\u00a0life messages and positive changes, I keep thinking of The Joy Plan<\/a>\u2014one woman\u2019s 30-day pursuit to create conditions for joy. In order to make joy a top priority in her life, Kaia Roman had to remember what joy felt like. In The Joy Plan<\/a>, Kaia takes our hand and shows us exactly how she did this. I was blessed and honored to read an early manuscript of this incredible\u00a0book. It didn\u2019t take long for the pages to be highlighted, starred, and dog eared. In the intro, Kaia explains that noticing how many negative thoughts she had throughout the day made her realize she really needed the Joy Plan; it wasn\u2019t long before she realized the plan \u201cmight just save my life.\u201d I can attest that this plan will help you reclaim lost joy, follow your instincts to step out of your comfort zone, cultivate kindness and positivity, and lose the inner critic once and for all. The Joy Plan<\/a> is currently available for pre-order and releases in one week! It is undoubtedly one of the best and beneficial books I\u2019ve ever read. Read more here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dear ones, it is time for me to begin a substantial online break as I do each summer. Time offline is vital for my soul, my creative work, my outlook on life, and my precious relationships. As my blog and Facebook page<\/a> are quiet in July, it would be so helpful to my family and me if you would pick up a copy of any of my three books: Hands Free Mama<\/a>, Hands Free Life<\/a>, and Only Love Today<\/a>. There is a level of expression and\u00a0depth of understanding presented\u00a0in my books that is impossible to offer in a\u00a0solitary\u00a0blog post. I hope you will consider taking a deeper look at how I've stopped managing and existing and really\u00a0began loving and living. If you would like visual reminders to wear or post in your home as you make your own positive changes, please see the beautiful cuffs<\/a>, wrist wraps<\/a>, hand-lettered prints<\/a>, notecards<\/a> and lunch notes<\/a> based on daily intentions found in Only Love Today<\/a>. Thank you for your love and support. You are so important to me. \u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While we were crabbing one night during our beach vacation, my 10-year-old daughter suddenly turned away from her sister and cousins\u2019 joyful antics. They had managed to catch a ghost crab and were admiring it in the bucket. Although it would be turned loose shortly, Avery couldn\u2019t bear to watch. The next night, it was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1778,1766,1747,1760,1741,1763],"tags":[32,1793,1656,817],"gutentor_comment":23,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/DSC_0023-e1498825077831.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1fUJF-1Z5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7631"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}