Researchers are developing a pill that will erase bad memories. While on the surface that might sound like a great idea and be helpful in aiding recovery, I have some doubts about it. In no way would I wish suffering on anyone and in no way would I downplay the anguish that traumatic experiences in life bring with them; but popping a pill to circumvent the natural healing process raises some questions for me.

For a start, the researchers admitted that there is no way of knowing if only the damaging memory of pain and suffering would be taken away. It is also possible that some good and pleasant memories would also be lost. I’m not too sure if I would want to take the risk of removing some of what makes me essentially who I am.

I wonder too if it would still be possible to fully develop some of the qualities that make us innately human if we did not recall the experiences of despair in our lives, rather than just retaining the effects of delight. Would we be as likely to cultivate character strengths such as courage, compassion, empathy or resilience?
Without being able to bring to mind the consequence of some of our actions would we develop that healthy level of fear that acts as a protector? How would we learn from our mistakes if there were no repercussions?

Pain, whether it is physical or emotional, actually tells us something is wrong. Sometimes it is a matter of coming to terms with it and allowing the healing to happen, and other times we have the choice to take some action to avoid or alleviate the situation.

What do you think – can you see any benefit to the tough times, or would you rather pop a pill?

Here in New Zealand it is officially National Random Acts of Kindness Day. It’s also the first day of Spring – what better time to honour kindness and celebrate the sheer joy of being alive?

All around the country there are big and little plans for commemorating this special day. Some of them will be very public, and others will be quite anonymous. All sorts of activities are planned –free mini muffins, flowers, movie passes, shoe shines, car washes, chocolates, lunches, etc will be being given to passersby. Councils, businesses, organisations and individuals are all gearing up to make this a day in which they give freely with no thought of getting anything back in return.

The idea came about in 2004 when two friends Josh de Jong and Marshall Gray were chatting over a cup of coffee. Since then it has really taken off. I’m going into town shortly and it will be interesting to see what is happening there. I will be participating too and it will be great to see a smile on someone’s face in response.

So how will you react if a complete stranger comes up to you today and gives you a hug, hands you a flower in the street or offers to pay for your cup of coffee? What will you do if the attendant in your parking building waves you through and tells you that there is no need to pay?

Will the thought that someone has showed you a kindness lift your spirits? Will your step be a little lighter? Will you make sure that you pass the kindness on in some way to another stranger? Or will you turn away because you are a little suspicious and wonder where the catch is?

How will you celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day?

I recently saw an item about the Really Terrible Orchestra. What a hoot. This under-talented amateur group plays their music – just for the fun of it – and have a wow of a time doing so. The amazing thing is that other people gain a great deal of enjoyment from hearing them!

Watching some of their YouTubes, I laughed out loud – not at them, but with them. Strangely enough it was quite an uplifting experience watching some of these clips – especially the trumpet promenade. The sheer joy on the audience’s faces as they shared the moment was amazing. As one member of the audience said, they are not just playing music (badly) – they are celebrating life.

The Really Terrible Orchestra was formed in 1995 by Peter Stevenson, a businessman and Alexander McCall Smith, an author. Many of the members are doctors or other professionals who don’t have the time or inclination to practice very much, and others just aren’t very good at playing their instrument of choice. Fourteen years of regular concerts and appearances in the Edinburgh Fringe festivals culminated in a concert performed in front of 1,500 people in New York earlier this year. A documentary film made in 2006 won the Baillie Gifford Award for the best short Scottish documentary in the Scottish Film Festival!

We waste so much time on ‘what will people think if I…’, ‘I’m not good enough…’, ‘What if I don’t get it right and end up looking stupid?’ … Well, these folks have raised ‘looking stupid’ to an art form and they are thriving on it. While I’m all for excellence and being and doing the best that I am, I also want to make a place in my life for light-heartedness and regularly celebrating the ridiculous.

What do you do – just for sheer enjoyment?

I’ve just completed two new cushions to match the lounge-room curtains I made nearly a year ago! Hmmm. Why did it take so long to do such a small task? You might well ask. Well, the simple answer is that I put the leftover material in a box in the cupboard and promptly forgot about it. It was literally a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. My focus shifted onto other things and the cushions were forgotten.

That’s what often happens with our goals – both big and small. We take our eye off our goal and our dreams, desires and good intentions get lost in the midst of all the everyday stuff that we do. We lose sight of what we want out of life and get diverted by all the urgent things that crop up, and end up ignoring the things that are really important to us.

Once I ‘found’ the material again I had the choice of running up very simple basic cushions that would take about half an hour to make and be quite serviceable. This would have been the quickest and easiest option, but it would have left me feeling dissatisfied.

I reminded myself of what the purpose of those cushions was. If I just wanted something to soften the back of the couch then basic was fine. But what I really wanted was to have a plain border around the edge that matched the one on the floral curtains. This was much more fiddly and involved awkward mitred corners, top stitching, some hand sewing and sticking myself with pins several times - but I’m pleased with the end product and feel it was worth the extra time and effort.

What forgotten goals can you dust off and begin to work on this week?