Kindness Challenge, week 5
Choosing Kindness
Reflection
For the most part, it easy to be kind; to smile and say hello to someone you pass while walking or at the mall or grocery store. It’s not difficult to pick up something someone dropped or get something off a high shelf for someone who can’t reach it. Little acts of kindness are easy to do.
Some difficult things are easy to do when you are doing them for someone you care about or have empathy for and understand why they need help. To send cards or flowers, take a meal to them, go to the grocery or pharmacy to get what is needed, do the laundry or straighten up the kitchen, be encouraging or just be there to listen to them. When love is the motivation kindness is not difficult.
It is easy to be kind…except when it isn’t.
We sometimes have to choose to be kind. When we are busy and have a lot on our mind and in a hurry it’s a choice to smile and pass the time of day, to help someone struggling to get on the bus with an arm full of packages, let someone go ahead of you in line at the bank, post office or store. It’s inconvenient to be kind sometimes but does that make it any less important?
When we hear of an illness, accident or death and it doesn’t concern someone we know well or involves someone we don’t care for it takes extra effort to help them and to be kind. If a person needs kindness does it matter whether or not we like them or their lifestyle or beliefs, whether or not they have good hygiene or clean clothes?
In her Challenge post for this week, Niki included this quote:
It’s not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even – or rather, especially – when we’d prefer not to be.
Josh Radnor
It may not be easy but it is simple…
love one another.
Patricia's Place 
Thank you so much for sharing this honest reflection. I love how you point out that it might not be easy but it is simple. It all boils down to love. How beautiful. Thank you so much, Patricia ❤
Thank you, Niki, for the thought provoking challenge.
❤
Wise. I agree. It is a conscious decision to be kind. The past couple of years, I have really been working on be conscious of how I am with myself and with others. I try very hard to be positive and to encourage others to, as well. I think when we have a positive outlook, truly appreciating what we have in our lives, that overflows to others. We cannot be truly thankful if we are complaining. Kindness comes from a thankful heart. I am a work in progress…but, I am working on it! HUGS!
We are all works in progress, aren’t we? Some may be farther along but the important thing is not to compare ourselves to others and do our best. Like you I am working on my progress one day at a time.