“Way to go Random Stranger.” That was the sign that I read when
cruising down the street in the Welland ½ Ironman today.
Today I am thankful for Deliberate
Acts of Kindness.
After the race, Meg and I recapped
the day and all of its splendour.
What we kept coming back to were the acts of kindness and solidarity
that were around each and every corner.
When I asked what I might write about today, she suggested
kindness. I was going to write
about this on Day 8 but I scrapped it for spontaneity; it was meant for today. Later she directed me to a site dedicated to recognising
deliberate acts of kindness and I just love the idea.
I had never really stopped to think about
the difference between random and deliberate acts of kindness. The word random itself says;
accidental, accidental, haphazard (I like that word) or arbitrary. When I thought about “random acts of
kindness,” I thought about small
things like paying for the car behind you at a toll booth, or letting the
person with a few groceries in front of you in line at the grocery store. But these gestures aren’t random at
all. They take thought, and more
importantly, they take a character of kindness.
I think one of the most beautiful images in
the world is a smile (insert sunshine and lollypops I know ... but I am serious).
Being kind is a practice. It’s
something that is strengthened the more you use/are it and it’s the best gift
you can pass to a friend or a stranger.
So, pay it forward, kill them with
kindness, and remember, kind is cool (but you already knew that.)
WOW, Diane, you get it!! There should be NOTHING random about kindness. It must be taught, modeled, nurtured, encouraged and PRACTICED - every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. I can't wait to get some dakbands into your hands