44 Letters to Strangers
My Kindness Story and Why it Matters
One of the first things that came as a revelation to me in therapy was being told, ‘You believe in the essential goodness of people, and because of all the hurt that you are carrying within you caused by people, you are now feeling like you are in a crisis.’
Looking back, I know it was nothing short of a crisis of identity for me.
Kindness and compassion have always come naturally to me, so for the longest time, I assumed it was the same for everyone around me. Until I realized it wasn’t.
Until very recently, I thought that it was my soft-heartedness that made me vulnerable to so much hurt and pain from others, and from myself. All the times I was teased for being sensitive and ‘overly’ emotional, all the nights I stayed awake thinking about the stranger crying on the street felt like they were the enemy. Like I need to be less concerned or affected, or ‘emotional.’
Fortunately, it wasn’t something I could extract from my personality. I could, however, incorporate the will to extend the same kindness and compassion to myself that came so naturally for others. Little did I know that doing this would change my life.
Extending empathy and kindness towards others, while being mindful of my boundaries, started to feel like something of a superpower — something I never felt before — it just always felt like a weakness to me.
But from where I am now, I see hope for a better world only if and when we create and sustain spaces of kindness and compassion towards oneself and one another. The willingness to open our hearts to each other’s stories is essential for us to understand and believe that we are in this together.
It is never too late to write that letter to your mom, or tell your friend that you love them. It is never too late to take charge and spread kindness because that is really what keeps us going.
This year in June, I took a conscious step towards doing my bit. I decided to write letters of kindness to strangers because I thought that it was the least I could do, and because letter writing has always been full of wonders for me. I did not have a plan but I knew that I wanted to bring more warmth and compassion to people’s lives.
As of today, I have written forty-four letters and I just know it even more deeply that there is probably nothing more satisfying and rewarding than doing your bit to tell someone you care.
