“The best portion of a good man’s life is the little, nameless, un-remembered acts of kindness and love.â€
— William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
To open a door, to let someone else cut in line, to pick up something dropped out of the reach of another… these can be huge gifts even though they appear like small kindnesses.
Life is a group participation experience. There are over six billion of us walking around and it seems unreasonable to think we can manage life alone. No one need feel isolated if we reach out to one another. We must dare not only to connect, but to be kind.
We will not always know when we have made a difference and such small gestures may feel insignificant. How can a simple smile matter so much? Perhaps we have opened the door for someone who just learned they lost their job, let someone cut in line who was anxious to get home to their ailing elderly mother, or pick up the ‘binky’ or toy just out of reach of that mom who was sleep deprived and on the verge of taking her stress out on her innocent toddler.
Even if this is not the case, we must pretend and act, as if it serves a greater good. We must be kind merely to be kind if deep happiness and peace on this earth is our true intention.
MY SHORTCUT TODAY: Today I notice places and ways to be kind and find that kindness is good medicine, not only for the recipient, but, for my own soul. To give is to receive, and to give anyway without insurance of a return on our investment is an even greater gift. Today I give willingly.
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