THE POWER OF KIND pt 3
I then said to her, “do you see the difference a small and short act of kindness can do to not only you, but to another person who in this instance was a stranger?”
Kenia said, “yes, I do see the difference. It does make a big difference to be kind.”
Moments later, a man on his way to work the same time I walk Kenia to the bus stop, walked by just as he did each and every work day. For the first several months this happened, this kind looking man would walk by without raising his head. Then one day, I decided to say hello to him. When I did, his face also lit up. He called out energetically, “Good morning! Have a great day!”
From that day onward, we both enthusiastically say hello each and every morning, all the time having fun with it. Sometimes he is a few seconds to a few minutes late in getting to our spot. Sometime we are a few seconds to a few minutes late. When our paths do cross, we always remark, “hey, you are a few seconds late,” or “it looks like we are late today,” with each encounter ending in a big smile on all of our faces. He always then calls out, “have a great day!” I say, “the very same to you!”
Do you think little things like that makes a difference? This past week, my daughter stayed home from school for three days because she had a cold. When we got back on our morning schedule of walking to school, the first thing this man remarked was, “hey, where were you guys? I missed you!”
Sometimes, the slightest act of kindness can make all the difference in the world, in your day or in another person’s day. Imagine how different your life’s experiences could be if you initiated positive experiences in your day rather than negative ones just by showing small acts of kindness. I know, not everyone is going to be kind or respond to your kindness. Don’t let that bother you. Focus on how good it made you feel to be kind. Remind yourself that if the other person was feeling better about themselves, such as the person who did not even want to hold the door open for us, he would no doubt want to extend his kindness to others. Wish that person well who doesn’t open that door. That will help you quickly recover from taking on his negative emotions.
The Power of Kind is sure and dramatic! Let it work in your life. Just try it for one short day. See if it doesn’t make a difference. Then ask yourself, if this is all I have to do to have better days, why not do it everyday? Put a few weeks or months of positive experiences together instead of several weeks or months or negative days, and see how your life starts to turn around for the better.