Kindness

Today, I started to ponder the idea of kindness. What is "KINDNESS", after all? Does anyone remember what "being kind" entails? So often, I see the same misfortune; we are all so consumed in our own daily routines, our own lives, that we forget to stop and recognize the missed opportunities occurring all around us daily, maybe even more than once daily.
The hustle and bustle overcomes us; we rush from one appointment to another, from one ball game to the next, from one store to the next...we rush to work, running every yellow light along the way, for fear that we may be "late" to punch the time clock. We rush to lunch on our breaks, we rush back and hurriedly devour our processed, quick-cooked meals. At the end of the work day, if we are lucky enough to head straight home, we fly home, as if our vehicles may somehow magically sprout wings and take flight. Everything is so rushed...seldom do we let ourselves relax, take a day off for no good apparent reason, eat cookies for dinner.

Unfortunately, isn't this the way we were all raised? Still time is wasted time, after all right? Who says? Who says we can't let ourselves enjoy the time we have here on Earth. Are our children going to really remember being rushed and carpooled from game, to practice, to rehearsal, wishing in 30 years to go and do it all again? Are they going to remember if our house was spic and span, spotless at any given time, just IN CASE company dropped by?

I am going to venture to say probably not; I don't think all those things matter that much. What I want my child to remember are the times we let the rest of the world go for a day, two, three, a week, whatever, and stayed home enjoying one another's company. I bet he will remember the day Mom took the whole day to spend with JUST him, no cell phone, no computer, no work...just Rowan and Mom. I don't want to focus all my energy on the outside things that don't matter; I want to focus on the ones who DO matter. Sit and think for a minute; what things do you remember most as a child? What were your happiest memories with your parents?

I want Rowan to remember baking cookies with Mom; playing games, doing puzzles, playing tag. I want him to look back and remember the kisses and hugs that seemed to last an eternity; I want to instill in him the importance of the ones we love and care about, and the importance of taking "time" for them. The world will go on if we do not make it to a game, or to an appointment. The world will not cease to go on if we miss a day of work; we are only a minute existence in this big, busy, crazy world, but to our children, we ARE THE WORLD! Let's start acting like it!!!

Let's get back to the idea of kindness; other than our families, who do we look out for? Who do we go out of our way for? When is the last time you stopped what you were doing to help someone else out, a stranger even? I wish that everyone would start noticing those around us, for no matter how bad we think we may have it, there is always someone less fortunate than us.
I challenge YOU to go out and do something kind for someone; make bread and take it to your neighbor; bake a meal and take it to someone who is not able to make it for themselves; send flowers to a random neighbor, take a large donation of items you do not use to your local church, school, or GoodWill.

For the next week, I am going to make a valiant effort to do something kind each day...not for myself, not for my family, but for someone I don't know as well. Won't you do the same? Leave a comment and tell us what you have done to put a smile on someones face today!!!

*pay the ticket for the person behind you at the drive-thru
*pay someones toll
*bake cookies for your neighbor
*send a card, just to say hi
*put together a package to send to a soldier
*take flowers to your child's teacher, secretary, bus driver
*take pumpkins to a single mother, who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to carve pumpkins with her small children
*take some hygiene items, candy, etc to a nursing home, give them to a stranger
*go to your widowed elderly neighbor, single mom/dad neighbor, military spouse neighbor whose husband is deployed, and offer to help them with whatever they need: yard work, take out their trash, run an errand.

It's a great feeling to be able to help someone!!! Have fun! Let us know what you did, and how it made you feel! THANKS!!!

DAY ONE: We took flowers, a card and a picture of Rowan to our widowed neighbor...just because!