Acts of Loving Kindness
Copyright (c) 2009 Karin Marcus
Love is in the air… and on every television and radio ad, bill board, and store window. With the coming of February and Valentines Day, there are red hearts every where you look and LOVE is the advertising word of the month. Instead of the mass produced greeting card or the traditional box of chocolates, I find the most powerful expression of love to be a simple act of kindness.
Recently when I slowed to allow a pedestrian to cross the street, she smiled and waved and blew my daughter and me a kiss! It was delightful and gave us a moment of instant happiness. The other morning I woke to discover that my neighbor had cleared our sidewalk of the snow that had fallen over night, what a great beginning to a good day. I have a friend who loves to pay the toll for the car behind her on the turnpike, just so they can be surprised by this little gift. Such simple acts of loving-kindness are so easy and so healing.
Kindness uplifts and warms the hearts of both the giver and receiver. It fosters a deep sense of satisfaction. Scientific studies have shown that people who are kind are happier, healthier, live longer and have more productive lives. In his book, The Power of Kindness, Piero Ferruci’s goes as far to say, “These studies have extraordinary importance…They help us understand who we are. If we are healthier when we are caring, empathetic, and open to others, it means we are born to be kind.” Kindness reflects the very best of human nature. It is our birthright and our duty to have our lives be an expression of kindness. So much so that in 1994, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution declaring a national “Random Acts of Kindness Week,” which falls this year on February 9th-15th.
Here are some simple way to bring more loving-kindness into your life.
1. This February, every time you see a red heart, consider it a signal to perform an act of kindness. It could just be a smile to passing stranger, a “Thank you” to a salesperson, or a phone call to an elderly neighbor.
2. When thinking of your friends and family this Valentine’s Day, ask yourself, “How can I be kinder toward my loved one? What small act of kindness can I introduce into our daily routine that will express my love for them?” Don’t forget your own well being!
3. Every morning how can Ican be kinder toward yourself today? How can I enrich my life and thereby the world around me?
4. During the Random Acts of Kindness Week, go on line and see what is being organized in your community. Volunteer with gratitude and joy, and pay it forward.
5. Post these words on your refrigerator or your desk, and live each day. “I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” Stephen Grellet.
Have fun and savour each moment of giving and recieving loving-kindness!
About the Author
Karin Marcus, Certified Life Coach / Retreat Leader
“Let the beauty of what you love, be what you do” Rumi
Karin@Steppingoutcoaching.com 610-667-5247
http://www.SteppingOutCoaching.com
Download your complimentary “Walking with Intention: A Self-Guided Mini Retreat”
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