Sept. 1 - Recent Reflections
Day 243 of a year of Kindness
Besides being Labor Day, today marks exactly two-thirds the way through 2025. I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on the last couple of months.
I had surgery in July and had to stay off my feet for six weeks. Because I had to manage challenging feelings (like depression and a teeny bit of bitterness), kindness hit me differently. Instead of the person committing acts of kindness, I became a person who relied on the kindness of others.
I also had to rely on the kindness of strangers. I felt absolute joy when a woman ran across the parking lot to open a door for me at the post office while I balanced on a scooter. I also knew the disappointment I felt when struggling with a door at a medical office while people watched and did nothing. Opening doors for people has a whole new level of meaning for me now.
I asked friends and family to become kindness ambassadors, which was wonderful. My footprint had become so small that I was thrilled when kindness was shared in places like a Greek Island, an Albuquerque, NM hospital and neighborhood in Seattle. One even rescued a kitten in Kansas.
I so appreciated their kindness and it buoyed my spirits. Please feel free to share more and I'll post them.
Here are five things I’ve learned the past couple of months as I flipped the script on my kindness practice.
- When I was at my most miserable this summer, it was kindness that lifted me up. I thought about all the low points in my life and kindness has always been the balm. The card, the call, the hug, the chocolate chip ice cream. It’s a force that heals.
- Helping others helps you. It’s a scientific fact. No matter how miserable you are, you still have some light left to shine for someone else. It will always make you feel better.
- Because I did a lot of observing and less doing this summer, I noticed that the unhappiest people were the takers and not the givers. (See number two)
- Self-compassion is not the bonus plan. It’s critical to be kind to yourself especially when you are going through a tough time. Take a nap. Order the groceries online. Read a book. Sit in nature. Being kind to yourself helps you be kind to others.
- There are no rules. Kindness is an action. It’s a smile, a gift, a compliment, a goodwill gesture of some kind. It all matters. And if you share it, someone may want to do the same, and the ripple effect will continue.
Science of Kindness: Research reveals that kindness has the power to change the world. Small acts of kindness can lead to significant change when shared and multiplied. #Bekind #kindnessisfree #kindnessmatters
