Welcome to The 7 Cups Values Series! (Week 1: Your Work Saves Lives)
Hello everyone, and welcome to part 1 of our 7-part 7 Cups Values Series!
Our community is built on a set of core values. They act as our foundation, guiding how we support each other, how we grow, and how we keep this space safe and welcoming.
Instead of just reading, we want to practice these values with you. Every week for the next 7 weeks, we will explore a different 7 Cups value. We’ll share stories, try small challenges, and connect over what makes this community work.
🍵 Week 1 Value: Your Work Saves Lives. At 7 Cups, this means working with purpose and stepping up to help others. Saving a life sounds like a massive undertaking, but here in our community, it is often found in simple, steady acts of support. Sometimes, an active listener, a kind word, or the gift of someone's company can be a lifeline to someone in need.
💙 This Week's Prompt: Let’s talk about the impact of small acts of care. Share a time when someone else’s simple act of kindness or support changed your day, or share how you try to bring a sense of purpose to the way you help others.
i dont remember much kindness but if someone really needs help i will most likely help them in extreme times. i can stand up for what i fought for and what i value in myself i really enjoy accually getting serious because my life is boring
but i am still under many issues 🥹
@Heather225
It was a long time ago, but I remember it very well. I just survived a life-threatening operation and was told there is something else that could be very threatening (cancer). Unfortunately, it was said straightforwardly, not mindfully or with compassion. I was confused and scared and had no one to talk to, so I connected with a listener here. They listened in a most compassionate way, and still today I am very thankful for that chat. The biopsy showed later on that it was a non-cancerous growth so all was okay.
I hope that I can help people here as a listener in discussions and chats and make them feel as appreciated as I was made by that listener.
@Heather225
Honestly I have the most amazing coworkers who help support me every day. Whether it is asking me if I need help with a task assigned or reminding me of things with sticky notes. I really do appreciate that.
@Heather225
@Romina
trigger warning
we was freaking out after we was told our oldest brother been murdered this was at our parents home brother had a building he lived in within their yard that were he was found
we reached out to Romina due to we know her from support 24/7 chatroom this was hard for us to do but we very thankful for the support she gave us and helped us just to calm down
she listened and offered kind words of support to us we so thankful for the support being heard too
after this happened no one in our family kelp us updated we was not told about when his serces was at all or any other thing
this happened on first Friday of new year then sis in law other brother wife died in her sleep on Monday
Romina supported us through both and helped with the mixed feeling this helped keep us from SH too
we put at Romina due to want to thank her for all the support she gave us when we needed it the most
@Heather225I became homeless and was staying in a shelter and had nothing but the clothes that I wore. The police and fire departments came together and furnished a whole apartment for me, right down to the last teaspoon.
@Madking223 wow! that is awesome!
@Heather225
Thank you for such a thoughtful prompt. The first thought that came to mind just now was something that happened to me over a decade ago. I had just lost my father, my relationship was falling apart, I was working two jobs and just overloaded. I felt ready to unravel at any moment. One of my managers at work just asked me one day, "Do you need a hug?" and it was such a selfless, quick moment that immediately allowed me to feel cared for in a time where I'd felt abandoned, stressed, and lost. I will never forget it.
I try to bring a sense of purpose to how I help others by remembering that we only have one life and time is the one thing we can't get back after we use it. I try to be intentional with my time, so the time that I invest in others needs to be productive and meaningful. Because our time on the planet is so short, performing small actions to bring a gentle spark in someone else's day really mean the world to me. It really is "the little things" for me, and I hope to provide these "little things" to others, if only to make the weight of the world an ounce lighter at the moment.
@Heather225
The way I have recently learned to bring a sense of purpose to the one's I've been extremely grateful to help is by showing and practicing gratitude. Gratitude for being graceful in loving ourselves, for the people around you and for your community. 7 Cups has given me a sense of purpose listening and being able to have the opportunity on here has made me better person. Made me more aware about how many people need support.
I love that I get to be a part of something bigger than me.
❤️💕🧠🧘❤️
@Heather225. I was living in the Caribbean as a single mom of a 4 year old when it came down to making sure my daughter was fed well and me not eating much at all. A friend pulled up and asked me to go to a BBQ with her. I was raised to bring a dish or something when invited to an outing. I told my friend that I could not go and when she pressed for a reason I told her that I have nothing to bring. She pulled away and then came back and said to get in her car and that she made a "big" salad from the both of us. I went, enjoyed more food than I could have imagined and it turned out to be a great day!
@Heather225
A family friend gently gave me advice around good health. It wasn’t patronising and she tried to relate to me. She did not shout, ridicule.
For the second question I try to keep in mind excellent timing is needed for excellent communication.
For me I love giving back. I am in recovery and I was told I can't hold onto what I have and to give it away to the next suffering person. That's what I did. I went back to school and became a Peer Recovering Advocate, a addiction coach and I just finished school to become a substance abuse counselor. I am even taking that a step further and continuing on to get my master's in social work.
There is something about being able to watch a person come into recovery scared and bruised, broken and destroyed. To watch them bloom into this amazing person who loves there life again. To see the glow in there eyes and the smile on their face is nothing short of a miracle. It keeps my own recovery fresh and reminds me that people can change. They can start over and begin to live again and to me this is a beautiful process to witness.