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Rev’d Sissons’ Thought for the Day: March 25
March 25, 2020

Thought for the Day Wednesday, March 25 

If I pop into the Prep school, which is where any children in school are being looked after at the moment, I have my temperature taken.

Yesterday some slim-line instrument was stuck in my ear, today a different piece of tech was pointed at my forehead.

I don’t get my temperature taken very often, in fact, I can’t think of the last time, but now all of a sudden we pore over the data, every tenth of a degree matters.

The first day my temperature was taken it was actually below the usual parameters for people my age, so I certainly didn’t have the virus, but I was left wondering if I needed treatment for some other problem instead! Today, fortunately, my reading was up – I was a little more normal.

Having your temperature taken daily is a sobering action. You realise that small differences can have huge consequences. But that doesn’t only go for the illness, of course.

There are lots of other very good things, which are just as contagious and it would be really rather good, whilst we’re all shut up together, to pass these things on to each other as much as you can.

Like patience, gentleness, forgiveness, happiness. Andy Cope, who runs the Art of Brilliance charity, and styles himself the ‘Doctor of Happiness’ (well, he has done a thesis on the subject) puts it like this:

Your emotions are contagious. Your happiness leaks out of you  –  if you have a happy brother or sister it makes you 14% happier and, get this if you have a happy neighbour you will be a whopping 34% happier.

“You cannot NOT have an impact on those around you. In plain simple English, it boils down to this: every day those around you are catching your feelings.”

So bear that in mind in the weeks to come, because negative emotions are just as easily caught as positive ones. Remember the golden rule: ‘Treat others as you would have them treat you.’ We never needed to take that piece of advice to heart more than now.

The Chaplain

PS Every Wednesday during lockdown the Art of Brilliance team are offering a free Wellbeing Wednesday video aimed at school children stuck at home.

You may want to look it up; they’re a fun bunch:     https://www.artofbrilliance.co.uk