Kindness is all around us
Do you see it?
Kindness is all around us
Sometimes the key to feeling kind and being kind is just a matter of opening our eyes. When we take those blinders off that keep us inner focused, a whole world of kindness surrounds us. Seeing kindness makes us want to ‘pay it forward’. And paying it forward makes more people happy, including ourselves.
This week I’m taking a break from trying to do deep dives into the seriousness of kindness! (If you read my article, Kursk, last week, you know what I mean). I’m just going to share what I have seen and read that made me happy and helped me want to be more kind to others. I hope you’ll chime in with comments about kind things you have seen/heard this week, too!
In the News
From Brattleboro, VT: Shopping on her lunch hour, a young women, Debbie, realized she had left her wallet on her desk at work. As she debated what to do, the woman behind her in line said, “I’ve got this.” “Oh, let me have your information and I’ll repay you,” Debbie said. “That’s ok,” the woman replied. “Just pay it forward.” When Debbie returned to work, she wrote out a check to the local food bank to honor the woman who had helped her.
From Portland, Oregon: National Guard have been helping out in hospitals to take over ‘non-critical care’ roles to help out the staff. Sgt. Sara Wassam says it’s the most rewarding ‘job’ she had done. “We get a lot of thanks from employees, visitors, patients, and staff,” she said. Wassam said, “It’s important to realize that kindness goes a long way.”
From Philadelphia: When a foul ball went into the stands at a Phillies game last week, 5th grader Aaron Pressley came up with the ball. As he held it aloft he saw a little girl next to him crying. Being little, she had no chance of getting that ball. Without hesitation, Aaron handed it to her. The moment was captured on camera. The Phillies honored Aaron with another ball.
From Oklahoma: 5 year old Jonas Holloway wanted a stuffed manta ray for his birthday. Hard to find, right? Plus his Mom, Tiffany couldn’t afford to buy one. So she made one out of an old blanket with button eyes and shared it on social media. The result: an outpouring of support and love, including ocean stuffed animals, an offer to Sea World, and a go fund me that has now raised more than $40,000 that is now being donated to the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital.
From Nashville: Brittany Starks is a single mom with limited income. Before the school year a friend gave her a backpack full of school supplies for her children. She wondered how she could ‘pay it forward’. She decided to offer to braid kid’s hair for them. It was a huge success and now other braiders have offered to help. “It doesn’t take much to help. Sometimes the smallest things can go the farthest,” she said.
And Close to Home
Close to home: A bathroom faucet had become wobbly in our vacation condo. We asked a worker at the complex if he would stop by and fix it, letting him know we would pay him when we arrived. When we got there the faucet was repaired and he wouldn’t accept anything. “It just took a few minutes,” he said, “and you have always let me use your parking space while you were away, so I thank you for that.”
Sometimes, when you give kindness without expectations, you receive the biggest returns, maybe in some extrinsic way, or maybe just in your own happiness and feeling of gratitude. These kindnesses are all around us, just waiting for us to see.
I’d love to hear what kindnesses you have heard about or seen this week. Let’s keep the kindness momentum going!
May your week be filled with kindness. 💜
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