“I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love.”
– Gandalf, The Hobbit
So many quotes about kindness from which to choose, but thanks to a light in my life, The Hobbit caught my attention… and makes sense.
Two years ago, I shared the following on Facebook:
“Today I was standing in line to vote, and an ordinary-looking man arrived, signed in, and went to the end of the line. I recognized him because he’s a friend of some of my friends/acquaintances, and he seemed like everyone else standing in line – a look of “How long will this take?”
What was invisible to the eye is that he’s a grieving father whose child died unexpectedly. His family gathered for his daughter’s celebration of life service on the same day my family celebrated my son’s graduation from boot camp.
Sometimes we really don’t know who needs a little kindness and compassion to help them through their day.”
6 November 2018 Facebook post
I wrote that as the caption for sharing an image of the following quote:
“Be kind. Because you never know how much the person beside you is suffering.”
– Internet quote
In the comments for my post, I included the following:
“His daughter’s obituary cited the Motto of Wake Forest University:
It’s not about you. It’s about us, and the greatest meaning of what it means to be human. Our motto, Pro Humanitate (For Humanity), is a calling to use our knowledge, talents, and compassion to better the lives of others. It can mean donating time and resources to our communities or simply a lifelong commitment to pursuing our best self. No matter your personal interpretation, it is an opportunity to leave the world better than we found it.”
– Motto of Wake Forest University
BE KIND.
Choosing to be kind does not depend on who is receiving your kindness and whether they’re suffering or grieving or experiencing pain. It does not eliminate anyone who seems to be doing okay. It does not depend on whether you deem someone worthy of receiving your kindness. (If you judge others, then remember that invites judgment on you as well.)
Kindness breeds kindness.
And if you’ve ever been the recipient of a random act of kindness, express your gratitude by paying it forward.
Small everyday deeds.
Small acts of kindness and love.
“While it may seem small, the ripple effect of small things is extraordinary.”
– Matt Bevin
This morning I received a message from a friend, telling me that her husband bought her a digital piano earlier this year, and she needs to get back to learning to play. “I always wanted to play piano but was never able to take lessons. When I see you with your ukulele, I have hope.”
Posting videos of my singing and playing ukulele isn’t about sharing kindness but using knowledge/talent (I use “talent” so loosely here haha) to shine my light. What I appreciate about my friend’s message is that she made me aware of two things – I didn’t know she even noticed my videos, and I didn’t know I made a difference in her pursuit of her own desire to play an instrument.
Whatever you do, include kindness in guiding your actions regardless of having an audience, regardless of with whom you’re interacting. Think of those cautionary tales of acting like a shithead to a stranger who turns out to be someone of consequence. Think of those viral “thank you, stranger” social media posts in which a stranger’s kindness helped someone more than imaginable or made a bigger impact simply by inspiring others to be kind.
I hope this blog post felt more like a reminder than anything, so if you felt like it was getting redundant or even preachy, then thank you for making time to read. Now, go about your day with this reminder. 😉
Luceat lux vestra.
This is very touching Leenie. Thank you for capturing in your blog the essence of kindness, compassion, inspiration and paying it forward.
This post. 💜 You truly do not know how your actions affect others. Small things may make someone’s day or even change their life. Most of the time we don’t even know.