Random Acts of Kindness

I've just gotten back from a very soul-fulfilling trip to the valley, which over the next few days I'll share with you some of the things that I learned. However first and foremost, one day while I was driving through downtown Salem I noticed a vehicle slowing to allow another driver over. As I got closer to the car slowing in front of me, I read from the sticker on the bumper "Practice Random Acts of Kindness." Almost immediately the grumpiness that I had been feeling lifted and I began to try to look for ways to be "friendly." How often is it that we tend to think of ourselves and our "needs"? It is something that I get caught up in continuously, yet on the opposite side of the coin, almost nothing makes me feel as good as I do when I am openly giving to someone else.

Over the course of the last few days, I have tried to make an attempt to smile at and politely greet strangers, watch for pedestrians trying to cross the road, remember to say "thank you" to people in customer service related employment, and a variety of other potential "kindness" opportunities. A funny thing seemed to happen: almost all of the people that I interacted in a positive manner responded positively and smiled back. I even believe that maybe my kindness was then passed on to the next person that they dealt with. (Funny however that my random kindnesses would have been considered proper manners sixty years ago).

I have been wondering to myself about what it is that has happened to allow us to lose sight of each other. Why do we allow ourselves to forget this element of human interaction? Why have we stopped looking out for others or when did we stop trying to put the needs of others before our own? And when did we begin to feel that some people were not "worthy" of our kindness?

I recognize that there are scary people out there in the big bad world, but I can't help but wonder if in some situations a little bit of kindness could shed some light even there. Wouldn't it be great if we could and would all validate the existence of and spread appreciation of each other? What a joy this world would be to live in so I must ask that you please would, in fact, Practice Some Random Acts of Kindness.