Help yourself by helping others

"These are the times that try men's souls," said Thomas Paine in 1776 (and the Kingston Trio in 1959). Indeed the times are trying once again. In the world of public health, in politics, commerce and education, we are surrounded by distressing, even disturbing, news along with opinions, recommendations, warnings coming from every angle. So, what can you do to take care of yourself and navigate the confusion? Since we're all in this together, and one of the best ways to help yourself is to help someone else.

Be an angel this week and do a kind deed, for yourself or for someone else. Act from love. Act with compassion. Act without expectation. And, don't overdo it. Just do it. Simple. Herewith, some inspiration:

• Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2

• We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. Abraham Lincoln

• Sometimes angels are just ordinary people that help us believe in miracles again. Anonymous

• Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. G.K. Chesterton

• A long time ago, I took a walk down a street in Harlem in New York City. I came upon a man who asked me for a dollar. He had asked a few other people before me, but they only passed him by without glancing his way. I stopped and handed the man some money. As I began to turn away, he reached out and shook my hand. He looked me in the eyes and said, "I will bless you." Now, I'm not saying that was God Himself. But how do we know that it wasn't someone working for him, walking around in disguise, just to see what we would do? Muhammad Ali