Introduction+to+Kindness

Go ahead, try it. Make the world a better place. It's easier than you think. As you move through your day -- today and everyday -- look for opportunities to do something nice for someone. Be random. Let yourself go. Be kind to someone you know. Be kind to a total stranger. Watch what happens. A Random Kind Act will have an impact on that someone. Just as amazing, a Random Kind Act will have an impact on YOU. Think of how a gesture as simple as a smile can change the course of the day for another human being. Now think if that person takes the smile you shared with them, and passes it along to another. Like a ripple on the water, your gesture of kindness plays forward without bounds. **One Person’s Impact:**

We were in a restaurant and I noticed an elderly couple with a helium balloon tied to their table. When I asked them what the occasion was they told me it was their 50th wedding anniversary. I was glad and sad for them. Glad, because they still cherished each other. Sad, because they were all on their own. No family, no friends. As I went back to our table I thought that I should pay their bill. I tried to do it anonymously, but the restaurant manager was curious: what is this, who are they to you, who are you, why are you doing this? Finally, I told them I was a church pastor and felt prompted to do it. The elderly couple were stunned speechless at the counter when told a total stranger had paid their bill. They were nearly in tears. We were all nearly in tears: the couple, the manager, the waitresses, and me.

Two months later I got a call. “Have you got the latest Woman’s Weekly?” “No, I only read the Man’s!” I said. Deb, who was with us in the restaurant, rang to tell me that my simple act of kindness was reported to the magazine (from memory, it was either the restaurant manager or the elderly couple). I wasn’t expecting anything in return, but that $44 or so random act of kindness touched the hearts of thousands. Imagine what would and could happen if we all practice random acts of kindness on family, friends, neighbors and strangers even for the next 30 days? Firstly, it will do something beautiful on the inside of you. And you never know what it will do to others. Go on, do something special, be creative and make someone’s day! I’d love to hear your story. Be blessed as you bless others in kindness.