Share Some Extra Kindness

Let’s be honest for a second (or more than a second)…. 2020 has not been the best year out there for so many reasons. It seems like everywhere we turn some disaster is happening…. The media is splashing front pages with stories of sickness, wars, politics, hate, etc…. There just seems to be something new every single day.

I saw a quote by the Dalai Lama that rings so true for our time and I wanted to share it at the beginning of my post.

“The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, story tellers, and lovers of all kind.”

It makes me sad how during scary times panic mode often takes over all aspects of ourselves and the world around us. The nasty side of some people really shows up when they feel they must go into survival mode. Of course survival mode and making sure you are taking care of yourself is important.. I am not discounting that at all. We do need to be smart and conscious, and aware of all that is going around us, but we also can’t forget our humanity in times like these. We are all humans, but often enough humanity is lost in the mode of panic to make sure you aren’t affected at all by what is going on around you. News flash however, there is no way to not be affected by moments like these….

Moments and times like these that we are going through are instead a PERFECT time to step into that humanity. To step into the role of a lover, a healer, a peacemaker… a helping hand to those hurting around us instead of contacting tunnel vision and brushing others off. FDR once said “A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” You can be stubborn and kind at the same time. You can fight and stand tall for a cause or people you believe in and still overflow with love for those around you. You can be both, in fact you can be as many things/aspects/characters you want to be. Never feel like you are limited to just one emotion.

Can you imagine how incredible and invincible we could all be if we worked together for the greater good of mankind… If we all consciously tried to be that better human because we all knew if we wanted to see change it started with us. Well change does start with us… It always has, and it always will. At first we might all feel like we are doing nothing, but even the small moments, the small actions could change a person’s life. You never know the emotions going through people’s heads.. you aren’t inside that person feeling exactly how they are feeling in that moment… So take that extra little minute to show that bit of extra kindness and love. Change your mindset from “having to do things” to “getting to do things”. Life is a privilege and a gift. We get to be lights, we get so many opportunities each day to love on people, take advantage of those moments! They are such great mood boosters as well. You feel like you’re walking on a happy cloud of air after making someone else smile. The feeling is incredible!

Now I know people might retort back and say, well with this virus going around we really should keep our distance from people… True we should be conscious about avoiding super crowded areas, we should avoid a ton of physical touch and be super attentive to our hygiene, BUT that doesn’t mean we can’t still be kind. That doesn’t mean we can’t still share a kind word or smile or try our best to ease a scary situation with just being a positive light. Panic will get us nowhere, and honestly will just weaken our immune systems with the added stress. Be aware, be attentive, be conscious, be alert…. but still smile and still be a decent human being…. I work in customer service at a supplement and health store. I’ve been running into quite a lot of nervous and worried customers and I take each of these moments to try and be a calm kind voice. I help them find the things the are looking for, I just remind them to wash their hands and enjoy time at home more, but to also take a deep breath…. I try to share that little bit of kindness and light hoping to help calm some nerves if I can. It is little, but it is something! If we all started out with little things imagine how great the world would all be when they added up over time!!! xo

With all the cancellations and mayhem happening around us remember kindness can’t be cancelled. Hope and love can’t be cancelled… heck you can sing, read, talk, treat yourself to some self-care, write, etc… none of these can be cancelled or taken away from you. Try and actively find those glimmers of hope and light in all the craziness, they are there I promise you, you just have to know where to look. So take a deep breath, hunker down and don’t let the fear over take you. We are never ever alone in any of this either… sometimes we might feel alone in the waves and craziness of the world, but know you are never alone. There are people around that love you so much and we have a God who will never leave us or desert us… NEVER! (ALSO be aware of people that need help in these crazy days… so many people are in the survival mode they forget there are others out there as well who need essentials to survive.)

I am here if anyone wants to talk or chat or just needs to rant about anything. Don’t feel like you’re ever alone in any of this. This all might be very overwhelming, but it is not paralyzing and/or the end all. Take each day at a time and continue to spread hope, kindness and love to all those around you!

S’Agapo