“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.)
