Today I was in receipt of a random act of kindness.
I for one love doing random acts, but it is not done with the intention of being the recipient. It’s just because it is a nice thing to do and makes me feel good. And hopefully the other person too.
Being a recipient of a random act of kindness from a stranger is rather amazing. Truly amazing really. It made me cry, but good tears. It certainly brightened my day.
It made me think. We can live our lives in kindness or, well, not. But that then makes me wonder ~ why wouldn’t you be kind?
Life’s Choices
I’ve always thought you have a choice in how you react to something. Stuck in traffic, you can get mad and frustrated and rant at the drivers around you. Or, you can decide this is a good opportunity to sing along to some favourite tunes at the top of your voice.
Someone being rude or shouting at you can be treated with the same behaviour back. Or, you can surprise them by doing something nice. (Talk about taking the wind out of their sails.) The key is, it’s always a choice how to react.
Today’s Anger
Is it me, or does the world seem to be becoming a more angry place? Well, I’ve definitely noticed it on social mediums. So much so I decided to research if it was just me. Turns out, nope. It’s because anonymity appeals to darker sides, a feeling one can say what one wishes, no matter how harmful, negative or opinionated. But honestly, anything done to intentionally harm, physically or verbally, is simply wrong.
This is not to be confused with venting. Sometimes we simply need to let off steam. It’s not venting if you are trying to harm someone with what you say. Frustration can easily lead me to a self indulged rant, but usually to myself. Journals are very good for this. Let the pen fly. Or if needed, talking with – not at – a good friend who is kind enough to give me a listen to. (Another act of kindness.)
And Breathe
When something gets my back up, I really like to give pause and wait 24 hours before responding. (I wrote about this in another post). It helps calm the emotions and every time has made me respond in a better way – if at all.
And for those moments when I don’t have 24 hours, I give myself a moments pause to decide how I will react. It’s actually an act of kindness to myself. It certainly calms me, if only a little. The knee jerk reaction for anyone is to, well, simply re-act. And it takes some doing to not simply react. But it is truly worth it, and a practice worth working on as again in hindsight, it is another form of kindness on yourself.
Don’t Waste Your Time
Some people go through the world angry at it. And maybe in their life there has been just cause to feel constant anger. But even so letting anger dictate your outlook and responses is such a waste of energy, and especially time. Life is short, and can change in a heartbeat, so to squander time in anger is, well, just wasteful.
Random acts of kindness go a long way to lifting the spirits when down, whether giving or receiving. So why not try one today. You may never know if you cheered up someone having a bad day, but then that’s part of the joy of it.
More Musings
I work to enjoy a simple life, which often includes reflecting on my own reactions to life and what it throws at me. Taking time to simply sit and muse. I’ve come to realise that rumination – the act of dwelling on something in your thoughts – can be insightful, but not helpful. Ditto anger. But kindness, it is good for the soul and thus worth repeating.
If you enjoy my musings in consideration of a simpler way of living, you can read more in my Finding a Simple Life.
And, should you wish, do join in and nourish Pumpjack & Piddlewick.
Or check out My Shops. Here’s a sampling:
Simply click on an image to see more.