Planting seeds of kindness

For those of us who embrace kindness as a lifestyle we may never ask “what’s in it for me?” We choose kindness not because it is going to benefit us, but because we feel like it’s the right thing to do.

Doing service for others gets us out of our own head and circumstances. Kindness has the power to spark joy that lasts for a longtime. And being kind makes others happy as well.

Kindness is contagious. Kindness breeds kindness. Kindness is like a seed that once planted will grow and multiply. Kindness can start a relationship, strengthen an existing relationship, and even repair a broken one. It’s a gift that everyone has…it’s free to all. Kindness can create connections and improve the quality of life for those who receive the gift. If everyone pledged to show kindness to at least one person everyday could you imagine the impact that would make in our society?

Ask yourself what random acts of kindness can we do to spread love to family, friends, colleagues, and/or strangers? My ‘soul sister’ and I decided to start a tradition of blessing others on our birthdays. Just last week in honor of my friend’s June birthday we surprised a widow with fresh flowers, cupcakes, and cards. After taking time to think about what we had done, we agreed that we want a ‘more do’ philosophy rather than overthinking and getting caught up in all the details.

Along with our birthday blessing tradition, another random act that I have put into play is called ‘a new day, a new bouquet.’ Yes, I like to think of myself as the bouquet bandit coming to a front door near you. Last year, I decided to plant a butterfly and herb garden. Several months later, I’m reaping the benefits of a beautiful array of herbs and flowers that have gone gang busters in my garden. I enjoy picking a fresh variety of herbs/flowers daily and placing them in a mason jar with a simple ribbon tied around the base to drop off at a random neighbors doorstep.

A few months ago, my kids and I were coming back from the mall and I was on a kindness mission so what did I do? I pulled right up to a McDonald’s drive-thru and ordered 10 cheeseburgers. My kids were wondering what I was going to do with all those burgers. It took us an hour or so but God lead us to 10 people that were hungry and in need of food that day.

We know that kindness improves our relationships, increases happiness, and keeps our hearts happy. So with that in mind, my husband and I asked several of our talented musician friends to perform ‘live’ in our frontyard. Music is so good for the soul and it brought so much joy to our neighborhood. We invited our neighbors to come over and park themselves on our front lawn (along with chairs, coolers, and pets) to sit back, relax, and enjoy a free concert. This provided fellowship amongst neighbors and strengthened our neighborhood connections.

What we learned is that it doesn’t cost much to make an impact. Whether it’s showing up at a widows door with birthday blessing goodies, leaving fresh flowers on a neighbors doorstep, handing out cheeseburgers to people in need, or getting neighbors together for a free concert, I hope I have encouraged you to come up with your own acts of kindness. Plant your own seeds of kindness. Do not wait until next month. Do not wait to set a meeting to discuss strategy. Do not wait until your next day off. Do not wait. I promise you will feel so good you did.

“And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” Luke 6:3