I went for a walk the other day and a man passed me by on his bicycle. He had a big bag in one hand and a long stick with a nail in it in the other – he was picking up trash along the bike path as he cycled along, which I thought was nice. I continued my walk, and eventually our paths crossed again as he passed me again on his way back, and he was singing to himself: “Today is going to be a beautiful day, yes it’s a beautiful day!”
I couldn’t help smiling. He gave me a huge grin and said “Hey! And how are you today?” and I said “I am well, thank you, and it most certainly is a beautiful day…” He laughed and said “Yes it is! When you’re sad, just start singing.”
And then he was gone, as we continued along our respective ways, in opposite directions.
I don’t know how he knew I was sad. Maybe he saw something in my face. I had been thinking about the wake I had recently been to, and I was definitely not in a happy place. But that brief encounter shifted me right out of my funk, made the day a whole lot brighter, and put a bounce back in my step.
Changing the world with random acts of kindness
It was something so simple; just a smile, and some words of wisdom. A random act of kindness for a complete stranger. And it made me realize just how easy it is to make the world a better place, how easy it is to be a part of the change we want to see. I didn’t know this man, I had never seen him before, and I’d be surprised if I ever see him again. But he made my day, and immediately helped me to restore my own sense of balance and harmony.
Sometimes that’s all it takes to rekindle the spark in another. And it’s something that we all can do – it costs nothing to be nice to someone else, but it can make all the difference in that other person’s day. And we have no idea how far the ripples from a single act of kindness can extend. I linked a really great video on this post that really illustrates this concept beautifully. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend that you do; it will probably make your day.
Imagine what the world could be like if small, random acts of kindness became a habit for everyone. Imagine what it would be like we all took a few seconds out of each of one our days to be kind to even just one other person. And imagine if our one tiny act of kindness was contagious, and got passed on. And on. And on.
It’s definitely the kind of world I want to see, and I know that if we can dream it we can achieve. So that’s the kind of world that I am choosing, and the kind of world that I am working to build. How about you?
photo credit: pixabay.com cc
This is great and how I used to be, but life keeps taking these blows and I can’t get to the high vibration I was at. I am too focused on my surroundings and not on how I’d want it to be. I can’t believe it actually turned out this way. Kind of sad. But I know I can turn it around again. Maybe I should let go and see where that takes me.
I think we all feel that way sometimes… that kind of stunned “how did things end up like this?” feeling. But really, we’re still here and we’re still standing, so we didn’t do all that badly, now did we? Learning to let go and trust the process is hard for everyone, I think. But I also think it’s an important lesson to learn. When the dust settles, we always end up OK. And that’s what we have to hold on to. And if we can just get ourselves to trust in that, then that understanding/belief in and of itself gets rid of a whole lot of the stress we’ve been feeling.
Nathalie,
I am wondering if you can write a post sometime specifically on family issues. We know how the influence us, but how best do we deal so that we can be triumphant. Just thinking, since this is the cite of most people’s personal problems. I know LOA and masters say to laugh it off and I have done so in the past, but now I am entangled in their web and can’t get out. Do I cut myself out? This does not help since they continue to seek me out, no matter what went down previously. I know I am suffering needlessly, but how do I get my brain to understand that? How do we get our family to help rather than hinder us other than being blunt about everything and constantly reminding them? LOA input is needed.
Hmm. I wonder if employing a policy of “unrelenting cheerfulness” would help in this situation. You’ve mentioned before about the negativity being what bothers you, so I’m thinking that if you can manage to pull off being fantastically cheerful every time you have to be around these people, then maybe it will annoy them enough that they will choose to stay away from you. So every time they say something negative to you, say something really cheerful or optimistic. (e.g. They say “Oh, the weather is going to be awful.” and you say “Oh that’s wonderful! Maybe we’ll get a rainbow!!!” or they say “Give up already. You’ll never make this happen. You’re wasting your time” and you say “FANTASTIC IDEA! I bet I can come up with an even better plan! I wonder how much exotic dancers make these days…”)
They’ll probably think you’re nuts, but look at it as a game. Besides which, it might be fun just watching how they react to your “insufferable” positivity. 😉