Coalition member and First Light Health and Wellness Coordinator, Deb Wright, shared her thoughts on kindness in an article written and published in the Kanabec County Times.
This week First Light is celebrating “Random Acts of Kindness” by spreading their kindness with “Seeds of Happiness”. These “Seeds of Happiness” started out as leftover lumps of clay that creator, Mark Borella, made into little smiles to give to friends who were going through hard times and needed a little smile. That was in 2006, since then he has given out thousands of smiles to folks, a handful at a time. In turn, they share them and the story with their friends in need of a smile. Then, those people share with more friends and keep the story going. The Seeds are all over the planet. From Africa to the land down under, the Seeds have been planted and smiles have been resurrected for people who need them. Seems a lot of people need smiles these days. Share a Smile – help spread Seeds of Happiness.
There are all kinds of ways to spread kindness – challenge yourself beyond this week and continue to spread and plant the seeds of kindness.
2/8/2018 | Kanabec County Times |
I’ve always been a fan of recognizing someone who has accomplished something prestigious or has done something for the greater good. Whether it is a student or adult, seeing pictures in the paper or on social media of people doing remarkable things, gives me the warm fuzzies. I also love to see rallying around those in need, whether it is a financial need to support a tragedy, a newly diagnosed medical condition or some other hardship. The collaboration of friends, family and community joining together to make a difference can make some amazing things happen.
But what about the underdog; the middle child; that struggling student flying under the radar? What about those of us who go about our daily lives, being a pretty good person, showing up and doing a decent job at work day-after-day, that baby-boomer caring for their parent or even someone who goes unnoticed-an introvert perhaps-living alone, minding their own business? Oftentimes there aren’t a lot of warm fuzzies heading their way. The fact is, sometimes these are the people that need a cheering section the most.
I have had some incredibly kind things happen to me recently, such as: a local car dealership rescuing me on the side of the road when I had a flat tire, cookies left on my doorstep, lunch brought over from a friend on a whim and a word of encouragement placed on my desk. These gestures made a significant impact on me and reminded me that I matter, that people truly care about little ol’ me.
Random Acts of Kindness week starts next week on Sunday, Feb. 11, and runs through Saturday, Feb. 17. This week was started by the RAK Foundation with one goal in mind: to make kindness efforts and selfless acts be the norm throughout schools, communities and homes. During this celebration week, I encourage you to take the time to plant a seed of kindness.
Kindness gestures don’t have to be difficult and they don’t need to cost anything; spreading kindness can happen in all sorts of ways. Here are some examples to spark your own RAK ideas:
- Thank a teacher
- Share a recipe
- Text an old friend
- Walk a dog
- Pick up garbage on the street
- Leave extra tokens at the laundry mat
- Write a positive review for a local business
- High five a stranger
- Bring a co-worker a cup of coffee
- Join an anti-bullying campaign
- Hide a surprise in your favorite library book
- Shop with a reusable bag
- Do the dishes
- Believe in yourself
There are so many ways to show kindness, the list could go on and on. If ideas don’t come easy for you, or even if they do, visit www.randomactsofkindness.org for inspiration.
I’m all-in and I challenge you to be the same. Remember, kindness starts with one.
Deb Wright is a physical therapist and Health and Wellness Coordinator at FirstLight Health System in Mora.
Source: Kanabec County Times