“Kindness” to the world might be an act of generosity, but to me it’s a lot more. Being kind is to be encouraging, supportive, positive, helpful, honest, considerate, thankful, responsible, respectful and most importantly, being a friend. From the farthest I can recall, I was never taught kindness in a class or was given a lecture on how to be kind. But I remember reading the Mark Twain quote on the wall of my school library “Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see”. My mom is a regular visitor to a local NGO and it’s been about ten years. Each time she visits she tells me the same thing, “Loving and helping someone when they least expect it is the kindest thing you can do and the happiest you will ever be”. Like all other quotes, I liked them, but I read them and it slipped right through my memory. We read so much at school and than we forget.
Summer vacation is the time where many teenagers around the globe love to lounge around lazily without doing anything productive, unless there is a school assignment that they are compelled to do. During my summer I remember scrolling through my Pinterest and coming across a challenge to do 31 days of kindness. Some mysterious energy in me was provoked and without any hope for a reward I began to do those acts. It might not be easy to believe that a single act of kindness is a big deal for people like me, but by being kind I believe I was impacting a life. No one needs to be rich, perfect, brilliant or beautiful to be kind we just have to be a little more generous and a little less judgmental.
Throughout the 31 days of my Kindness Challenge I learned that being kind was not really a challenge for me, but an opportunity to learn something new. I did have to give in some extra time and effort, but believing what Anne Frank said “No one has ever become poor by giving”
Some things really leave an impression on our hearts and so does the act of kindness.
Make a card for someone thanking them for all they do: Initially I thought, who would get happy by receiving a card? But I still considered doing this and I made a card for my maid. I thanked her for coming each morning to my place and helping to clean all the mess she never created. I thanked her for treating me like her younger sister even when my mother got stressed and screamed a little at her. I thanked her for all she has done in the last 4 years that she has known me. Her reaction was worth a million dollars. She said “Didi, I have never felt this nice my entire life. Not even when I get my salary. You have made me feel important for the first time”. Seeing this, I broke into tears. I’m sure anyone would because who knew a card could make such a difference.
Write a letter to your teacher: Lately I had observed our history teacher never really felt homely when she was on campus. She didn't make a lot of friends with the teachers and was wasn't loved by all the students. I wrote her a comforting email about how it was difficult for me as a teenager to adjust in a residential school. I told my teacher how much I appreciated her knowledge of history and I let her know that not only me, but a lot of other students liked her teaching skills. I told her to have a happy vacation and ended it . Engrossed in other things I forgot about it, but a few days later I heard back from her. She was more than happy to know that I appreciate her.
All through these years in school now I have learned what kindness does to the soul. It not only benefits the receiver of the generosity, but also the giver. I want to tell all those who read this:
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, to all the places and people you can, as long as you ever can.
_puneya :)
Peace out girl scouts