KINDNESS: A SWEET TREAT

“There are two ways of spreading light:
to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
~ Edith Wharton

I’ve always interpreted the above quote in the way I suppose most do >>> You can either be the star of the show, or you can be the supporting actor who does their part to allow the star to shine. But I recently began to view it in a different light [pun intended 😉] …

It all happened a few days ago while I was at the mall with my mother.

She had been having a hard day because her knees had been acting the fool for a few days, but, being the trooper she is, she decided to grit her teeth and plow through the pain in order to handle her business. However, her discomfort was etched on her face throughout. But then a strange thing happened …

As we approached a store, a young lady who had been about to exit stepped back to allow us entry, and as my mother passed her, the lady said, “Mums, I just have to tell you I love your hair!”

The change in my mother’s expression was instant – her frown disappeared, replaced by a bright smile, as she thanked the young lady.

But it had nothing to do with vanity or ego. It was simply because this young lady had randomly chosen to offer her a compliment, and that small and unexpected act of kindness genuinely made my mother’s day.

This young lady was the candle, and her light was reflected in my mother’s reaction to her small and simple act of kindness.

“Be the reason someone smiles.
Be the reason someone feels loved
and believes in the goodness in people.”
~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

Acts of kindness can come in all shapes, sizes, and forms – it can be something big like helping a neighbor to paint their house or something small like offering a stranger a compliment. But the one thing they all have in common is the way they make both the bestower and the recipient feel – it’s a sweet treat that lights up the brain’s reward center and gives you a burst of dopamine, creating a feeling of pleasure and fulfillment which is not unlike the feeling we get when we treat ourselves with that slice of cheesecake of bowl of ice cream.

And the best part? Being kind doesn’t have to cost you a cent !!!

Volunteering your time to help others – whether it’s coaching your child’s soccer team or simply assisting an elderly person across a busy street – is an act of kindness. Treating others with warmth and courtesy – whether it’s waving at your neighbor over the fence or wishing the barista at your favorite coffeehouse a nice day is an act of kindness. And sometimes, kindness comes in the form of not doing anything at all.

For instance, when you’re talking to the friend who neglected to heed your sage council and ended up getting dumped by the person you knew was wrong for them all along, but instead of saying ‘I told you so’, you simply allow them to vent their hurt and frustrations; or you’re trying to train the new employee at work and they’re having a hard time, but instead of getting annoyed and doing it yourself, you patiently allow them to learn from their mistakes so they’ll have a better understanding of how it’s done.

But the light you emit with your acts of kindness will always be reflected in their recipients, boosting their mood as well and increasing the odds of them paying it forward with their own acts of kindness.

So, to wrap up today’s post, I’m going to share a few quotes on the blessing that is kindness:

“Kindness begins with the understanding
that we all struggle.“

~ Charles F. Glassman, Brain Drain – The Breakthrough That Will Change Your Life

“When given the choice between being right and being kind,
choose kind.”

~ Dr Wayne W. Dyer

“Treat everyone with politeness and kindness,
not because they are nice, but because you are.”

~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring
to change a person’s life.”

~ Jackie Chan

“Never lose a chance
of saying a kind word.”

~ William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair

“What wisdom can you find greater than kindness?“

~ Jean Jacques Rousseau

“No act of kindness,
no matter how small,
is ever wasted.”

~ Aesop

“If you want to lift yourself up,
lift up someone else.”

~ Booker T. Washington

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions,
and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

~ Amelia Earhart

“How do we change the world?
One random act of kindness at a time.
Kindness is a gateway for all of us
to connect and care for each other.”

~ Morgan Freeman

“… people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

~ Maya Angelou

“Too often we underestimate the power of
a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear,
an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring,
all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

~ Leo F. Buscaglia

“The smallest act of kindness
is worth more than the greatest intention.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

“In the face of isolationism, protectionism, racism,
the simple concept of looking outwardly and beyond ourselves,
of kindness and collectivism, might just be as good a starting point as any.”

~ New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern

“It is nice to be important,
but it’s more important to be nice.”

~ John Templeton

“You have the power
to make the world a better place
by being kind to someone today.”

~ Joyce Meyer

“Be a little kinder than you have to.”

~ E. Lockhart, We Were Liars

“Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness.
Know how to give without hesitation,
how to lose without regret,
how to acquire without meanness.”

~ George Sand

“Carry out a random act of kindness,
with no expectation of reward,
safe in the knowledge that one day
someone might do the same for you.”

~ Princess Diana

“Kind hearts are the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits.
Take care of your garden
And keep out the weeds.
Fill it with sunshine,
Kind words, and Kind deeds.”

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow