The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day, A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with it’s petals all worn, not enough rain, or to little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, “It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too. That’s why I picked it; here it’s for you.”
The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.” But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. You’re welcome, he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he’d had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight
Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that’s mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose. And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man further down the path on his own park bench.
Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the and the blind can see.-- Mark Twain
Here's another way to spread some kindness. There are literally no limits to what you can do. I got this in my email this morning!
"Today I had some free time during my lunch break so I went to the 'Good Will' store nearby just to look around. As I was wandering around, I remembered that I had two 'Smile Cards' on me and I decided to use them in the store. I had two $1.00 bills in cash which I folded and paper clipped to each Smile Card. I then placed each one inside a different purse. I hope it will bring a smile to the people or person who finds them!! It made me smile just planting them!"
Today's Tip: Put some money in a coat your donating and let the recipient discover it!
I can live for two months on a good compliment. -- Mark Twain
~~~~ Good News of the Day: "I like your jeans." "I like your brown shoes." "Have a nice day!" Don't you love it when someone says something nice about you? Doesn't that brighten your day? Imagine how wonderful your day would be if someone said something nice about you, just because. Brett Westcott and Cameron Brown, also known as The Compliment Guys at Purdue University, are doing exactly that. "When people come up after they've had a bad day and say thanks for a good compliment, that brightens my whole day," says Cameron. Compliments are so contagious, that the duo even went on a 10-day compliment tour last summer! http://www.dailygood.org/more.php?n=4175
~~~~ Be The Change: Give someone a compliment today!
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule which fell into the farmer’s well one morning. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ desperately from its hopeless position, battered and bruised. The mule looked upward for a savior.
After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened…eventually enlisting them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical as his awful plight soured further. But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back…a thought struck the stubborn mule. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back… HE SHOULD SIMPLY SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP!
And so he did, blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself as the well grew shorter and the light above grew brighter.
No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall as the neighbors and a farmer once intent on burying him learned a lesson about overcoming adversity in their own lives.
Here's another very heartwarming story I just had to share with you that popped up in my email. I hope you enjoy it. ~ Kat
Last week, I went to work very early as I had a lot to do, and early mornings, before others get to work are the times I can be most productive. I arrived at the Embarcadero station in San Francisco from the East Bay around 5:30am and as I surfaced from underground, I checked my BlackBerry and noticed the next SF Muni bus was in 10 minutes.
Instead of waiting around for 10 minutes in the cold, I felt inspired to go buy this (possibly homeless?) man in a wheelchair something from the Starbucks. I had seen him before sitting outside in his wheelchair trying to stay warm, and quietly and politely shaking his cup gently (I've never heard him asking for change though) hoping someone will contribute some more coins.
I went up to him and asked "Brother, can I bring you some hot coffee from Starbucks?" He replied with "Hot Chocolate," immediately, without thinking about it. It took me a little bit aback how quickly he replied - he really knew he wanted the Hot Chocolate! I then told him I'd be back in a few minutes.
So I went to Starbucks, ordered the Hot Chocolate, and they asked me whether or not I wanted whipped cream. That also took me aback for a moment, trying to put myself in his shoes and wondering if he would like whipped cream on top. So I told the Starbucks person "a little, please."
I brought him the Hot Chocolate, decided not to "tag" him with a Smilecard as it did not seem appropriate even though I had one on me, and then went on my way.
The very next morning, I found myself at the Embarcadero station at the same time, approximately 5:30, and also had about 10 minutes before my bus was due to arrive. I looked up Market Street and he was there again, so I walked up and asked him if I could buy him another Hot Chocolate (it was also very cold that morning).
He said, "Yes, please," and I asked him if he wanted whipped cream or not, and he said, "No, two Equals." Again, that took me aback how quickly he answered (usually when people are deciding what they want, they pause at least ever so slightly to think about it). I clarified with him that he meant Equal, the sugar substitute, and he confirmed that is indeed what he wanted.
So I went to Starbucks, and after opening the door I noticed two things:
1) The difference in temperature between the frigid outside and the warm and fragrant-smelling inside of Starbucks
2) The song that was playing on Starbucks' "radio." It was that Christmas/holiday song about the drummer boy who plays for baby Jesus -- "I will play my drum for you, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum."
I had been reading a book the night before describing Jesus' life and service, and hearing that song was so powerful for me that I almost started crying in Starbucks, so for me it was confirmation for me that I was doing "the right thing" and that in his own way, Jesus was supporting me through giving me that beautiful synchronicity.
So, I paid for the Hot Chocolate and then looked through all the packets of sugar (raw sugar, equal, sweet & lo, and a few others) and took two Equals.
Then I walked a block and brought him the Hot Chocolate with two Equals and a napkin. He thanked me, and I went on my way to work.
Both interactions were so sweet for me. I don't know if I'll see him again or not, but I was touched and am a little different because of it. Different may not be the right word, morose "closer to my authentic self." It felt like a layer of whatever was getting between me (small ego self) and the real me (as spirit) thinned, or the veil was pulled back a bit.
Today as I reflect upon it on this day after Thanksgiving, I'm struck by the metaphor of the 2 Equals. On one hand, he was a homeless man in a wheelchair, and I was an employed person with full use of my limbs, but from another perspective, there is no difference between us. We are brothers, equals, children of God both trying to do our best to navigate what can be a challenging world.
Today's Tip: Buy someone a cup of coffee or hot chocolate with whipped cream today.
I got this wonderful story in my email this morning and just had to share it with all my wonderful readers. Here's another wonderful way to spread a little love!
I entered the monthly Kindness contest, answering the question, "What would you do with $100 to help your community?" I said that I would buy 100 cake mixes and bake 100 cakes and deliver them to 100 different blocks in my community, encouraging the recipients to share their cakes with their neighbors! I wanted to deliver not only food for their bellies, but food for their souls! I wanted to show the love that I had for my community and encourage others to talk with or meet their neighbors! I named the idea, "Compassionate Cakes".
To my surprise, my idea was chosen and a $100 check was sent to me to do my project! Now, I had to get to work. I bought the cake mixes and made "tags" telling the recipients about the project and encouraging them to visit the website, www.helpothers.org. I added a "tag" to each cake delivered. I made yellow, white, strawberry, butter, chocolate, all different kinds of cakes! I got a map of my town and every time I delivered a cake, I put a sticky "star" on the map to show where I had delivered the cake. I kept a notebook with the names of the families where I delivered the cakes. I got my whole family in on the project, helping me deliver the cakes! I took pictures of the families receiving the cakes. The response is overwhelming! People ar really amazed that you would take your time and bake a whole cake for them. It really is such a small and simple gift to me, but a huge gift of love to others. I am blessed beyond words for this website and the opportunity to be a giver of "Compassionate Cakes" for my community.
Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the and the blind can see.-- Mark Twain
