Being there for each other
by Dr. Gabriella Kőrösi
The picture above is one of my favorite pictures of showing love and caring. A mother and a child. beautiful joy on their faces. Makes me smile every time I look at this picture. Caring for each other brings a wonderful experience.
I recently observed a simple act of caring and support for each other in the animal kingdom.
A few days ago, I was driving to work in the morning. Coming down on the hill of the backside of Astoria, Oregon I noticed a few deer. There were five of them. It is not unusual to see the deer in the town I almost see them every day. Today was different. I almost immediately noticed that there was something wrong. The male deer “buck” only was a few years old. I would look at him and think of him as a teenager. He was missing part of his crown. He had the left side intact, but the right side was missing.
I also noticed that there were three little ones between the male and the female. Based on their size look like they were born this year. Another unusual thing was that the group was moving slowly. That is when I noticed that the female deer was hurt. Her left back leg seemed painful, and she was moving slowly and limping.
I stopped my car and patiently waited until the group crossed. It was a nice reminder of how important it is to stick together if somebody’s hurt. This deer had a painful leg and could only move slowly, and the rest of the group stayed with her. I hope that her legs recover shortly, and she will be able to run and jump again.
There are many wonderful stories of caring and support in the animal kingdom. Many animals take in orphan babies of other species or provide comfort for each other. Seeing the support of the deer family was a great experience.
As humans, we have the power to support each other and care for each other anytime, at any moment. Having somebody who loves and cares for you provides great support and shows caring. When you feel that there’s another person who shows interest in your well-being there is a greater chance of recovery from any health or mental health issues. There’s also a greater chance of not developing problems because of having a support structure around you.
Caring for each other can be very simple. It could be just a check-in to say:” Hi, how are you? How are things going on in your life?” It can also be reassurance telling someone that you will be there for them, listening to them, offering to make a simple meal, picking up groceries, call to see if they need anything. Even just sending a message to someone you care about telling them that you’re thinking about them shows you love and care for that person. Paying attention to things people like is another way of caring.
In today’s running world we forget to stop and check-in with each other. I hope you have a chance today to stop and think about people you love and care for and show caring and support for the people around you or even for people who are far away from you. Showing love and caring and support for other people also bring joy to your life.
In the spirit of November and Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all the wonderful people in my life including my family, friends, fellow writers and coworkers, and people who I don’t know, and I might see or pass by. I’m thankful for all of you. I am thankful for all the people who check in with me every day to see how I am doing. I am grateful for all the people I have in my life.
Please share with me how you bring caring and support to others in your life or how other people do the same for you.
Thank you for reading,
Gabriella
