Little Acts Of Kindness
No matter what stage our life is in, no matter how busy or stretched we are, there is always something small we can do for someone else.
These are the Little Acts of Kindness that make the world a better place to live. There are opportunities for these acts multiple times a week without even looking for them. It is up to us to be aware and be willing to see the opportunities. The powerful thing about these little acts is that most of the time we are the only person to whom the opportunity is presented. If we don’t do it right then in the moment, no-one else will.
Let me give you some recent examples of little things I have done:
It was a hot day and my neighbour across the road and his brother were working outside on their new house. I took over two big ice-creams. They were delighted and we chatted about the new house.
I was taking my daughter to her school camp, and as I drove along a country road I saw a woman looking tired, hot and downcast, walking the other way. It was miles to the nearest town so I did a U-turn and asked if she needed a ride anywhere. Her car had broken down, her kids were being difficult and her ex- partner was making life hard for her. I listened to all this while I drove her to where she needed to go.
A friend of mine was going through a stressful time and had a lot going on in his life. Cooking a meal is not one of my strengths, so I put some cash in an envelope with a note to say it was for him to buy his family dinner.
I have friends who are incredibly hard working mission workers. On their return from eight months overseas, I sent them a $100 gift hamper.
A small team of us agreed to do a full day makeover of a family’s house and garden. It was great fun, and I was on a high for days afterwards.
Now these Little Acts of Kindness hardly took any of my time. The money was excess to my needs. And these small gestures didn’t change the world or change anyone’s life. But incrementally they made the world a better place.
There are opportunities everywhere. It is our responsibility to simply keep our radars on, and our eyes open. And then be willing to take a small step out of our schedule and spend five minutes or a few dollars.
Imagine if we all did that!
Graduation
Once you have mastered Little Acts of Kindness, I suggest you graduate to Big Acts of Kindness. These take more time and more money, but they have a bigger impact. Start small, and just keep getting bigger!