"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."
~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word,
a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
~Leo Buscaglia
Did you know this is World Kindness Week? We have not only a day but a whole week to practice being kind. How fabulous is that?! November 13 was the original date decreed for World Kindness Day at the first World Kindness Movement conference in Tokyo back in 1998, and now there is a whole week, from November 13-20, designated as a time to focus on acts of kindness. If you'd like some ideas, there are several websites to offer inspiration: www.randomactsofkindness.org; www.helpothers.org; and www.onemillionactsofkindness.com to name a few.
Some of the ideas they suggest are: cook dinner for a friend; offer to help a family member, friend or neighbor with yard work or babysitting; give someone an inspirational book with a note in it; go to a public place and pick up trash; offer to fix someone's car; help teach a child; give care packs to the homeless...the possibilities are endless.
Although I think kindness is as much about a state of being as it is about doing anything in particular. Sometimes a simple heart warming smile or a gentle touch or a listening ear convey kindness and caring in profound ways that we may not even realize. It is the love and compassion behind the action that can be healing and even life changing.
I was thinking about some acts of kindness that I have received in my life (and there are MANY, for which I am very grateful), and a few touch me deeply in recalling the memories. When I was about 12 years old I wanted to do something special for my Dad's birthday, so I baked him a cake. Unfortunately, in removing the cake from the round pan, part of it stuck to the pan, resulting in several large craters in the top of the cake. I was inconsolable about this 'disaster', terribly upset that the cake was ruined. My grandmother "Mimi", a lovely, kind, woman with a jolly soul, reassured me, exclaiming with delight and a twinkle in her eye, "Oh! This is perfect! We'll make it a 'sand trap cake'!" My Dad was an avid golfer, so this made perfect sense to me. We had so much fun decorating that cake, making little fairways with flags, a little duck pond, and sand traps. It was the coolest cake ever!
What an act of kindness it was for my grandmother to spend time with me helping to turn this disappointment into a delightful experience. And what a wonderful lesson about creative problem solving. It is a treasured memory that warms my heart to this day. Kindness is such a simple thing to practice, and much needed in the world today.
So, this week, I'll be thinking about ways to spread a little more kindness in the world. I hope you'll join in the fun too!
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