Someone once said: “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” I can’t think of a better motto for life. In our world, mean has become too easy. The more difficult choice – kindness – has to be one of the most underrated and often ignored virtues of our time. And there is no better time for kindness than right now!
My daughters and I had what I will call a ‘giving’ day on a recent Saturday (now that we have a temporary reprieve from weekend sport). We baked some meals for the freezer and delivered them to a sick relative, but our real act of kindness was completely unplanned and for a complete stranger.
Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.
We stopped off at a beachside park after our visit to our relative for a spontaneous reward of sea air and sunshine. Within minutes of arriving, one of my daughter’s spotted a man busily wheeling around a trolley containing his life possessions. Realising he must be homeless she asked if we could do something or give him some money. As usual, I had no cash on me. I was tired and had many excuses buzzing around in my head about why we should just keep to ourselves and turn a blind eye. But she was persistent. So, brief respite over we headed off in search of a supermarket. There we went in search of fresh food, a toothbrush and some other necessities.
When we arrived back at the waterfront (which stretches for miles) with our simple purchases, we scoured the area for a moving trolley. I could tell my daughter was getting a little apprehensive. What if we don’t find him? Will he want our small offering? What if we are offending him? Will he be friendly? But we pressed on with the mission she started and eventually did manage to spot the elusive moving trolley.
When we approached the stranger, he accepted our gift very gratefully saying, “God Bless You”. My three daughters were delighted to see him excitedly rummage through the bag. He then parked up on a bench to bite into one of their carefully selected apples. We did something small that really mattered to us that afternoon and let everything else go. Thank you to my beautiful daughter with her heart of gold, for making me STOP long enough to act.
The best thing about kindness is that its contagious – even those watching a kind act are motivated by it. When you be kind to someone else, not only does it benefit the two of you, but you help spread kindness further afield. So, let’s be kind today, tomorrow, this week and every week after – with even just a handshake and a smile! You’ll feel fantastic for it!
When you are kind to someone in trouble, you hope they’ll remember and be kind to someone else – and it’ll become like a wildfire.
If you’d like to get started read on for 40 Random Acts of Kindness to make someone’s day. I’d love to hear how you’re changing the world, one tiny gesture at a time.
