Tag Archives: “Mother Teresa”

the whole “kindness” thing…

practice kindness“Random Acts of Kindness”.  Hmmm…. You’ve heard of it, certainly.  It’s one of those “buzz word phrases” that gets thrown around a lot; but have you ever really stopped to consider what it ultimately has to do with YOU…??  Well – my opinion on that, (be it ever so humble), is; in a word… Everything.  Now let’s just think about this for a moment.  You are already living your daily life as a “kind” person; Right?  Practicing Random Acts of Kindness (RAKS) is just taking that daily kindness and bumping it up a level.  Or two.

mother teresa quote

OK – You already smile at the person behind you in line or strike up a friendly conversation; So how about letting them jump ahead of you when you have a full basket and they have just have a few goodies? What about leaving a quarter in the gumball machine  (woohoo!) or taping a dollar to the vending machine at work?  In the winter, try leaving hand/foot warmers for the mailman or offering to buy the Salvation Army “bell ringer” a warm drink.  Can you imagine the sheer joy of a “little nugget” (my daughter’s phrase) upon discovering a dollar bill on the shelf of the toy department ? (make sure you pick a lower shelf 🙂  If a friend is under the weather, perhaps a little homemade soup is “just what the doctor ordered”. Your trashmen work so hard, and they love cold bottled waters in the heat of summer.  Warm chocolate chip cookies are always good for the soul, or perhaps a soothing candle for a friend who is feeling overwhelmed.  An unexpected hand-written card or note in the mail will certainly brighten anyone’s day.

power of kindness

One of the simplest things to do is the “pay it forward” in the drive thru line.  Any drive thru. If you have never practiced RAKS before, this is a GREAT place to “start”.  When you get to the window, you simply tell the person taking the money that you would also like to pay for the person behind you.  It makes the person at the window happy, and the person behind you in line even happier!  The true gift, however, is the way that you feel after you do it.  It’s like a high.  Really.  And there are long-lasting benefits that you may not have considered yet. This whole “kindness thing“… well – let me tell you right now –  It’s both addicting AND contagious! xo

Am I so simplistic and naive that I believe that I can “singlehandedly” create world peace…?  no.  Do I believe that I can, however, change the world?  yes.  Mother Teresa’s quote from yesterday’s (part 1) blog post bears repeating… “If you can’t feed a hundred people, just feed one”. 

And so I challenge you TODAY… to start practicing simple acts of kindness with those around you.  Friends, as well as complete strangers.  To get you in the right frame of mind, take a minute to watch this little video – “Take a seat – Make a friend”.  Watch it all the way through, and it will, hopefully, leave you inspired. For free printables of the cute little “Kindness Quotes” (below), click on this link – “Thirty Handmade Days”.  For even further inspiration, click HERE for some actual pics of heartwarming examples of RAK and HERE for a list of 134 simple ideas for RAK!!!  I’m making it SO EASY for you… only because I sincerely believe in the true POWER of kindness!!  “There’s no such thing as a small act of kindness.  Every act creates a ripple with no logical end”. – Scott Adams

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so what to do…?

ann frank quoteWhat happened at the Boston Marathon yesterday is incomprehensible.  A senseless act of violence against innocent people; so horrific that it takes our breath away.  It’s like Sandy Hook all over again.  We are in shock, and react with the predictable emotions… anger, fear, sorrow, helplessness.  In the midst of the chaos and confusion, however – there is another side to the story.  A gentle, loving side.  There were police officers, first responders, hospital workers, med students, ambulance drivers.  There were bystanders and complete strangers.  They all rushed in to help with one common purpose…to help in any way that they could. Marathon runners who had yet to complete the run, instead ran/walked the rest of the “race” to the Red Cross to offer what they could.  Even after running a marathon.  When surrounding hotels were forced to close down, messages poured out from the people of Boston – offering their homes as a warm place to stay.  People opened their hearts in the midst of devastating chaos, and this reminds us NOT to lose sight of something very fundamental.  People are good.  Random acts of violence do not change this fact.

So what to do…?

Well, I say we fight fire with fire.  OK – remember back in science class when we learned about the “law of motion” from Sir Issac Newton…”For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” (Ok.  So I liked science.) Yesterday’s “action” was a random act of violence.  Our “reaction” is to come back, FULL FORCE, with a barrage of RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS.  Let’s show the world we care.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, just feed one”.  – Mother Teresa

Ponder that thought – I’ll be back tomorrow.

if we

“In spite of everything, I really do believe people are good at heart.” (Ann Frank)