Random Acts of Kindness

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

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