No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
-Aesop
Lately it seems that everywhere I turn, I run into an example of the opposite of kindness. People seem to have lost their damn minds here in the New Jersey suburbs when it comes to caring about others. It is truly amazing when you notice it. I didn't know that there were so many people who think the world truly does revolve around them. There just isn't time to let someone get ahead of you in traffic. Since you are so busy, why would you ever let someone go before you at the supermarket checkout? And of course, why should anyone make an effort to be considerate when they find themselves ahead of someone else. After all, it IS all about THEM. I hate this mentality and although I experience it frequently, I make an effort to try to be the opposite of what I have described. I am certainly not perfect in my efforts. But I do try.
I used to be the kind of person who always looked for the good in someone. At times I still am that person. Yes, at times I get a rude awakening when a person I thought was a friend turns out to be a sociopath or a co-worker who seemed so cool is really not a very nice person at all. But most of the time when you look for the good, you find it and often quite a lot of it. It feels so much better to focus on something positive than on something negative. I now make choices to let that negativity go away from me. Don't want to spend time with me? No problem, I know plenty of folks who do. Don't want to be nice and polite? No worries, I just won't interact with you. Making an effort to be kind is very simple actually.
The other day I was at the grocery store waiting for one of the self checkout stations to open up. Someone walked up behind me and I noticed she only had 5 or so items so I told her to go ahead. She was shocked. After protesting repeatedly , she finally gave in and went ahead. It was the right thing to do. I was happy she gave in.
It is futile to judge a kind deed by its motives. Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.
Eric Hoffer
I have been in the drive through line at Dunkin Donuts and had someone pay for me. It was completely anonymous. I think kindness is even better when you aren't getting brownie points for it. If no one knows you and they can't give you credit for your kindness, then you truly are doing something just for the sake of doing it.
That best portion of a man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.
William Wordsworth
When I made an effort to focus on those little kindnesses that pop up, I started to notice more and more people do make an effort to be good to others for no apparent reason other than that they want to be kind.
Letting someone get ahead of you, taking the time to smile and say good morning to a stranger, or even taking the time to chat about someone's day in a store might be insignificant but could also be something that makes a person's day. Who knows what they have been through or are going through? Those little acts of kindness can go a long way. In seeking the positives I actually found even more positives than I expected and noticed more and more that things weren't always controlled by those who worried about themselves first all the time. I guess you just have to pay attention.
Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Random Acts of Kindness....
- Watching someone hold the door for another person who was coming into a store after them.
- Someone calling to say thank you for giving them extra special service when they were in your store
- Someone bringing you a coffee at work just because they were coming in for a business chat and knew you would appreciate it
- Helping someone with a recommendation for school.
- Someone bringing a co-worker a special kind of tea bag to try because she knew the person liked tea
- Someone stopping in traffic and guiding a dog to safety so he did not get hit by a car.
- Listening to a story because you could tell that person needed to talk to someone.
- A positive or kind word for no reason
- Paying a stranger a compliment
Kindness is everywhere. Check out this website for some amazing stories http://www.randomactsofkindness.org
What random acts of kindness have you done today?
Your blog is so thought-provoking that I just jumped to my computer to respond! Today...I asked, "Is it a full moon?" Not that I believe in that sort of thing, but you know what I mean!
ReplyDeleteI was completely stunned by more than a handful of people today, unfortunately not in a good way. I LOVE doing for others, but there is something terrible turning in the wind when I see not only a lack of manners or etiquette, but downright rudeness. I too, try to rid myself of any negativity (people or otherwise). It's easy to do when I am not obsessed with impressing others, which unfortunately runs more rampant here in South Jersey than any other place that I have lived or traveled. The life was sucked out of me due to a never-ending barrage of, "Are you kidding me? Really?" coming from my mouth today.
People...my New England friend and I joke that you actually go all of the way around a car to take a left instead of allowing the car bisecting with yours to pull out (this probably doesn't make sense, but think about it). Julie, in what world do we live when people spend extra energy being negative instead of being kind which is really the path of least resistance?
The degree and pervasiveness of rudeness that I encountered today, well, I allowed it to bring me down. Shame on me, I suppose. However, a person can only handle "oh so much!"
Let those not treating others with kindness and thoughtfulness digest their poor actions and choose better tomorrow, lest you not sleep well tonight. I sleep without weight on my shoulders.
In peace, for now...L