COVID-19 Updates, Stories & Self-Love – Anderson Connect

In this week’s Anderson Connect, we will be sharing the following, hope you enjoy!

• COVID-19 Update
• 2 short stories
• A video about self-love

COVID-19 Update

The Ontario government has announced the Stay-at-Home order will remain in effect until Monday, February 22nd in Toronto, Peel Region, and York Region. Although some regions will be exempt from the province-wide Stay-at-Home order by Wednesday, February 10th, everyone is strongly advised to continue to stay at home, avoid social gatherings, minimize travel between areas with different restrictions, and limit close contacts to their household. For more information, please visit Ontario’s Newsroom.

Short Stories

In honour of celebrating love this month, here are a few short stories that will lighten your day!

Making Relationships Special

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. In particular, I remember one night when she made dinner after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my Dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet, all my Dad did was reach out for his biscuit, smile at my Mom, and asked me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my Dad for burning the biscuits. And I will never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits.”

Later that night, I went to kiss my Dad good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day’s work today and she’s real tired. And besides – a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!”

Moral of the Story:

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. Learning to accept each other’s faults – and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

How long can you keep hatred in your heart?

A kindergarten teacher had decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates. So, the number of potatoes that a child will put in their plastic bag will depend on the number of people they hate.

When the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people they hated. Some had 2 potatoes, some 3, while some contained up to 5 potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry the potatoes in the plastic bag with them wherever they went for 1 week. Days after days passed, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.
The teacher asked: “How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?” The children let out their frustrations and complained about the trouble they had to go through carrying heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they went.

Then, the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: “This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what it’s like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime?”

Moral of the Story:

There is no need to hold any hatred for anyone in your heart or you may carry it for the rest of your life. Forgiving others is the best attitude to take. Negative thoughts about someone will cause you to lose peace of mind. Remember the good things about others and let go of the hatred.

Self-Love

February is the month of Valentine’s Day, where we celebrate relationships with our loved ones.

The most important relationship you will ever have is with yourself. Don’t forget to celebrate you!

Self-love is defined as valuing your own well-being, your own happiness, and the fulfillment of your own needs. This concept is often overlooked and misunderstood, yet it is crucial for living a happy life as it motivates us to make healthy choices.  Self-love is not selfish because when you look after yourself, you cultivate a positive and healthy environment that allows you to take care of others. What does self-love mean to you? How will you practice self-love?

Image credit: Woman photo created by freepik – www.freepik.com