A Kindness Revolution

Little things add up to be big things in so many areas of our lives. Many, many examples, exist, but two specifically popped into my head right now.

Here's one - procrastination. Pretend you have daily filing to do at work and you put it off for three or four weeks. Suddenly you have a huge pile and you ask yourself how you will carve out the time to get all that STUFF filed. Been there, done that! Wouldn't it have been easier to put a few pieces of paper in the filing cabinet THAT DAY? That is what I do now, and I can proudly say that my filing at work is not out of control!

Another example is spending money. A $1.69 soda pop at the gas station, another one there, a bag of chips out of the vending machine, I could go on and on. Suddenly you hop online to check your bank account and realize you overdrew on a few small transactions and the bank is charging you upwards of $90 in overdraft fees. Been there, done that as well! Needless to say I signed up for overdraft protection and am trying to keep a better eye on spending.

But here is what I really want to focus on - kindness. Have you ever gotten a little hand-written note in the mail and it really made your day? Have you ever been carrying a crock pot on the elevator for food day at work and someone was kind enough to press your button for your floor? Or maybe you have been driving and were trying to turn left onto a very busy street and someone let you in? You get the idea.

Some of the ideas require more effort than others. Maybe we can all work into this by starting with some of the easier ideas, like the letting someone into traffic idea above. But guess what? We set the example. If enough of us do small kindnesses enough times, it becomes the NORM! If someone cuts you off in traffic, can you take a deep breath and resist the urge to flip them the bird or throw up your arms in disgust? Ok, that is harder! But you can stop the aggression right there. And maybe if you tell yourself it's just a little thing, it won't spoil your mood. I'm sure you are kinder when you are not in a bad mood!

I challenge you - can you commit to something small like this? What do you see in your little piece of the world that you could help make better by your kindness? Picture yourself with the different people you will encounter in your day. Decide on an idea, and really commit to it.

Here is what I want to do. There is a food pantry donation barrel by the exit doors of the supermarket where I usually shop. Whenever I remember, I try to buy something wholesome to put in, such as a can of spaghetti sauce and noodles, or canned tuna, or mandarin oranges. I really commit to doing that now.

There are a lot of other things that I will try to do, but for now that is my one. Please commit. I am no president or pope, but I truly believe our leaders should be challenging us to change the world, one step at a time. Will you join the movement?