Take 5 Monday: Little Kindnesses, Research Trickery, and Kindnesses You Have Seen

Dec 20, 2021

Happy Take 5 Monday: 1 Kindness Quote, 1 Gratitude Thought, 1 Kindness Habit Idea, 1 Kind Act, and 1 Question for you to consider this week…

1 Kindness Quote:

“Remember, there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. ~ Scott Adams

1 Gratitude Thought:

“Blessed are those who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” ~Camille Pissarro

1 Kindness Habit Idea…backed by science 🧪:

Science shows that even the littlest acts of kindness can have a big impact.

Have you ever thrown a pebble into the still waters of a pond? Little ripples spread from that point where the pebble hits the water, creating a circle that keeps on expanding. The same thing happens when people do small acts of kindness. Researchers in Spain proved the theory with the help of a little trickery.

Workers at the Coca Cola bottling plant in Madrid were asked to participate in a ‘happiness study’. The volunteers were asked to keep notes of their mood and any special acts of generosity they performed. Then the researchers secretly planted 19 volunteers in the group and told them to do special acts of kindness for 1/2 the group (not for the other half). They wrote thank you notes, offered to get drinks, and other small acts of kindness. (I can picture those researchers chuckling as they came up with their secret plan of trickery!)

One month went by. Here’s what the researchers found: people who had received the extra kindnesses were 10 times more likely to pay kindness forward, they felt significantly more in control of their work day, and they were much happier. Those same people who received the extra kindness spread it around by doing kind acts for others around them. As a bonus, the 19 volunteers saw their own happiness sky rocket and their sense of accomplishment and competency soar. That’s a huge ripple effect for a few small pebbles.

You can create your own ripple effect, just by starting with one pebble….one small act of kindness.

1 Kind Act….Well, actually a lot of little kind acts this week

I love finding heart warming stories of kindness. They’re all over the internet, if you just look a little bit. And sometimes, some of my friends send me stories that either make me smile or require a hanky. You know those kind of stories!

But this week, with Christmas approaching, I started thinking about the little kindnesses that are happening all around me. Not big deal stuff. Just little things that make me feel warm and fuzzy.

I’d like to share some of these kindnesses…..just from this week….in hopes that they will bring you a smile and a warm fuzzy, too. Here we go….

A few days ago a package arrived. I wasn’t expecting anything. Inside was a large canvas tote. Printed on one side were the words, “Cultivate Kindness”. And there was a little card from my younger daughter in Atlanta. “Saw this and it just made me think of you.”

For more than 15 years, we have lived part time in a condo in Oceanside, California. We have become friends with one of the workers at the complex. As we got into our car to head north to Fresno to visit our grandkids, Richard appeared with a bottle of wine and a cheerful, “Merry Christmas!”

Speaking of Fresno, when we arrived, our oldest daughter served up a special Christmas dinner at her home for 11, even though, in the wee hours of the next morning she had to put on her basketball coaching hat and drive one of the team vans 12 hours to Phoenix for a tournament.

The next night, our son and his wife put together a delicious Taco dinner for us (and homemade cheese cake), even though they had just lost the electricity in half their house. Fortunately, not the kitchen!

We stayed in a Springhill Suites hotel in Fresno. It was great. Free breakfast. One of the workers stopped by our table and offered to heat up my husband’s egg/bagel. Just because she was being kind.

Have you ever checked in to a hotel only to discover that there was an entire high school boys basketball team staying there too…..and they were on your floor…..in the rooms around yours? We had a moment or two of ‘Oh dear’. But we didn’t hear a peep. Nothing. Until the next morning at that ‘free breakfast’ I mentioned. But instead of rowdy, crazy kids, we got ‘Good morning’ and ‘thank you sir’.

You know, when you go out of town, you just never know what might happen. The day after we left, a package was put by our front door. Without asking, our neighbor popped the package in a ‘If it fits it ships’ USPS box and mailed it to us at the beach.

I mentioned that friends sometimes send me stories of kindness. I love it. It’s rejuvenating. This past Friday I got a link to a story about two twin girls who sold bead bracelets so they could buy shoes for all of the first graders. The kicker is, these two girls had just lost their own home to a fire. Thank you, Beth, for the story……and here it is for those of you who want a true, feel good story.

I don’t know how you feel, but the thought of driving through Los Angeles (at any time of day or night) just gives me the shivers. Driving around it helps, but only a teeny bit….and sometimes, not at all. Knowing how I feel, my husband drove the entire trip. It’s a solid 5+ hours and it’s not for the faint of heart.

1 Kindness Question for you:

What kind acts have you seen in your life this past week? Won’t you share them in the comments below to help brighten everyone’s holiday season!

See you in 2022

This is the final edition of Kindness Magnet for 2021. I hope you have enjoyed being part of our community. If you’d like to have a few minutes of kindness, feel free to read through past articles…. check out the library here. I’m looking forward to sharing more kindness and a few new twists in 2022! I wish each of you a very happy holiday season and a Happy New Year. 🎄

Check out our new Gift and Book Program

Kindness Magnet launched in April, 2021 and has become tremendously popular. I guess we all need a little more kindness in this world! A great way to practice a little generosity is through our new Gift and Book Program. I hope you’ll check it out! I’d love to know what you think and get your suggestions!

May your week be filled with kindness. 💜