When your buttons get pushed, let love in.

This month kicked me in the butt. But it also gave me something to ponder.

People can be rude, mindless, and undisciplined. It's just a fact of life.

I've been told, "There's no excuse for bad manners," but I also know that underneath it all may be some serious self-loathing.

Some folks don't have a mind to make others feel warm and fuzzy. Well, unless there's something in it for them. They may even get a bit of joy out of rubbing others the wrong way. For them, giving love isn't their strong suit.

Still, we expect more from them, such as basic courtesies at minimum.

Maybe they're pushing our buttons because they expect more from us, too. We could ask ourselves, what did I miss?

When a speck of love is offered unexpectedly, we may not recognize it. It may get buried under all the seeming lack of love that came earlier, or yesterday, or the day before that. If we miss it, that tidbit of love is lost forever. Sometimes, the heart's too closed to feel it.

Have you ever felt unlovable? It happens when you miss the love coming at you.

So I think we have an obligation to look for the love and try to catch a glint of it wherever, however we can, even if it's just in another's warm smile, or someone says, "Wanna join us for dinner?"

When a kind word is said or a hug is given, take it as love. Don't judge or question it or look for ulterior motives.

If someone you know offers a helping hand, don't blow it off as nothing—they're not offering charity or implying you're incapable. It's an act of love. Take it in. Let 'em feel good about it.

Kindness is inherent in love, and love is inherent in any act of kindness. It may be just for a moment, but the heart opens in the giving and receiving. Even if you can't feel it. It just happens unseen.

So, grab each and every morsel of love that's given. It may not seem that it's love, but this is the love the other can give. This is their way of giving it.

I say it's best to keep a lookout for the kind words and little exhibits of love wherever you are, and slough off the misbehavior and unkindnesses. I try to make it my daily practice. If I can do it, anyone can.

Try to be a panner of gold in all relationships. Find the specs of gold and toss the rest out. Keep the bits and pile them up. Notice also the gold dust in mediocre relationships, be they folks at work, family members who bum you out, or friends who remember your birthday year after year though you haven't seen 'em in decades.

Don't expect the pan in any relationship to be filled with pure gold. It's up to you to sift through it, spot it, keep it, cherish it, and remember who it came from. Forget the crap they gave you, just remember that bright and shiny piece of gold they gently, quietly shoved your way.

Does the year feel like it's going too fast for you? Slow it down by being a gold panner. It'll make every day all the sweeter, too.