#174 10 seconds to make a difference

Welcome to Weekly Whisper #174.

10 seconds to make a difference

For 1332 consecutive days (with the odd Mulligan) I sent my Mum a picture on WhatsApp.

It was usually a random picture - maybe of a view I had; or a picture of the kids or dogs; maybe the latest sunny or wet weather forecast; sometimes a random selfie; and of course, the occasional wee Dad joke.

It was my way of remaining regularly connected with my Mum who lived on the other side of the world.

I’m convinced it had secondary benefits for my own and my Mum’s health.

For example, “I wonder what picture Peter’s sent me today” was her waking thought. This would often lead to a small message exchange and give my Mum something to get out of bed for.

If I sent her a puzzle, or a joke or a new venue or place I’d been then she would do a little googling to understand and subsequently keep her mind active.

For me, it satiated the years of guilt in not starting it years ago 😊

The observant amongst you will notice the past tense.

Mum passed a year ago this week and I stopped sending her the photos.

We all experience individualised grief when we lose a loved one.

One of the things I missed the most?

Sending her a daily picture.

Now, it took me approximately 9 months to process that I could continue the habit and continue to reap the benefits.

This time with my immediate family.

So, we’re currently at 89 consecutive days in of me posting a daily random picture on our family WhatsApp group.

And whilst it might not have the immediate and obvious health benefits that my Mum experienced, we all feel a tiny bit more connected on a daily basis.

Everyone I’ve ever told about the daily picture idea loved it and yet I never know if they acted on it.

The act of either taking, choosing, picking or sending the photo takes me about 10 seconds.

A small investment with some compounding upside.

I wish I’d started years ago and at least when we moved to Australia…but I didn’t.

As we all know the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago.

The second-best time?

Today.

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Cheers

Pete