A Billion Acts of Kindness
Today I am grateful for the feel of my feet on the floor, reminding me that in this moment I am stable and steady, physically and also emotionally. And this moment leads to the next, and the next . . .
Today's "Word for the Day" at A Network for Grateful Living is from Jack Kornfield, noted author and Buddhist mindfulness practitioner:
The worst of humanity does tend to make headlines and get people's attention. Dark news grabs readers, views, and comments. It can feed our own sense of anxiety or possibly superiority. It heightens despair and apathy and feeds self-righteous complacency.
"We're going to hell in a handbasket. It's getting worse and we can't stop it. Why bother? I can't make a difference. Well, at least I am not that bad, that person, or that headline." Honestly, I have had these thoughts, or similar ones, and more. They aren't helpful. They can harm and hinder.
Sure, I need enough reliable news to be informed enough on issues pertinent to me, my family, the communities to which I belong, and my job. But that's all I need. I don't need unreliable, time-sucking sensationalism that feeds the wrong energy.
So I choose my sources and duration of news carefully. Admittedly, that's been a tough goal to accomplish in recent months. I try at least.
The simple idea of a billion acts of kindness every hour of every day is such better news to consider. Waving to a neighbor. Feeding pets. Making breakfast to share. Putting out a new bar of soap. Holding the door for someone. Saying a prayer for a friend heading into surgery. Smiling and greeting others in the halls. And the list goes on, and on, and on . . . feeding the right energy.
We are closing in on 8 billion of us inhabiting this planet. I think there are way more than a billion acts of kindness every hour. I am going to do my part to add to the total today.
Take another breath. Sense this truth: Kindness doesn't need to make headlines to create lifelines.
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