Random Acts of Kindness during difficult times...

[ecomama]

Hello everyone

Today is a new day with new possibilities.

Sometimes we feel so overwhelmed with our own issues and the crises around us that we may forget how powerful it can be for ourselves and others to say or do one kind thing...

Kindness is love in action and our world is hurting.

I've observed the change in people around me. Previous acts of kindness, were met with a smile and a thankyou but now... the reactions have changed. People are almost crying, saying thankyou with such relief. These responses hit me yesterday.

I'm not a social worker but I do live and work in my community. I think about a kindness someone did for me all day, maybe for weeks and longer. When I do a simple thing for others I FEEL GOOD.

We CAN make a difference.

You can make a difference to someone today with a simple act, starting with yourself. Your actions can be planned but also taken on an impulse.
A text asking how someone is doing? Or telling them you care about them.
Offering to take an elderly person's trolley back to the bay or a parent's trolley back for them.
Leaving a flower on a neighbour's letterbox.
Asking the Supermarket worker how they're doing today.
Thanking a Police Officer or Ambulance worker when you see them.
Dropping a note into a person's letterbox when you know they live alone.
Reacting with kindness.

Kindness starts with being kind to ourselves. Please share a lovely thing you did for YOURSELF or somebody else.
ANY THING is lovely to read about and can cheer a person up all day. 😃

Yesterday I saw a young mum struggling with her baby and shopping and trolley. The baby was crying. The empty trolley began to roll away. I stopped it and asked if I could take it back for her. She said "THANK YOU!" and said it four more times as I walked away and back. Then I saw her smiling and crying driving her car past me. She waved and I gave her a thumbs up. The darling girl, who knows what she's going through...

Love to you today
EM

[ecomama]

Hi Travis and Welcome to the BB forums. Thankyou for joining in our thread!

I agree that doing an act of kindness and remaining anonymous is THE most beautiful thing but..... lol BIG but here....

Negativity is being shared in WOAH too much volume and it's getting exponentially worse...the greediness and hating others makes people feel so much worse but it's looking like an addiction of our society atm.

Thank God I left all social media lol... I'm hearing the bad news all the time, far outweighing the good!

People are always bantering on that they can "do nothing" about the fear, people around them and then pass on bad news.

SO my theory in all this now is to tell OTHERS when you've done a kind thing... in snippets at least... I did this today for the first time ever. Told a work colleague about giving to the homeless when she said there's nothing we can do.

Ofcourse there is! We can work really hard to make the GOOD outweigh the bad news.
How uplifting it would be if every single random act of kindness was "out there" for people to feel warmed by the stories and gain FAITH that us humans aren't all bad lol.

People might even catch the bug! The good bug lol.

This could change the world. A warm feeling. A feeling of connectedness and love.

One of my children started a "Pick up litter" FB page where people photograph all the litter they picked up on their walks... there are hundreds of people posting now and it makes me so happy that people care for our environment.

In the face of fear and adversity and scarcity for some, we can bolster with kind acts, love and compassion for everyone.

EM

[Tay100]

Slushies are the greatest, even in winter! You are right ecomama- these are the moments we learn to treasure retrospectively so it's great we can learn to treasure them in the present!

[ecomama]

Lol too right there Tay100

Has anyone done a kind thing for a neighbour, elderly person or themselves lately?

I feel like going all out lol but can't think of anything like it.

I'm going to our Church Food Pantry next week and paying it forward... just lining up in my car, paying for the car behind me. Or whomever the volunteers know needs more support.

Some great news here is that so many unwanted animals from the shelters are being rehomed.

My friend takes old blankets etc to the shelters for the animals, we give our stuff, not nice enough for humans, to her. I have a ridiculous amount of surplus pillowcases for some reason, I wonder if they could use them?

Maybe a box of tinned dog food would be welcomed at our Church Food Pantry too.

IDK trying to think outside the box if anyone has any ideas???

Love EM

[Guest_5432]

Hi EM

It's so wonderful to hear that there's still.kindness lefi in folks hearts.

Since you're a beautiful kindhearted Christian woman no doubt you will know this well passage of words ..... "There's more hsppiness in giving than receiving- Acts20v35b. 🙂

Take care

[ecomama]

Dear Guest_5432

What a beautiful reminder!

My all time favourite is "Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10.
Being still. Mind, body and soul. Being present. So many lessons for us laid out but I love a few others!

What act of kindness are you doing for yourself today Guest?

I'm seeing my psych today lol but it's probably for the last time... her area of expertise is in PTSD and indeed she's helped me alot there... but her lack of understandings about DV and almost sheer incapability to look OUTSIDE the "trajectories" she knows all too well are making our sessions strange and divergent from the path I need.

"Know thyself" Romans 12:3-8 is a powerful statement that I keep coming back to lol.

I know myself better than most (I would hope lol) I don't find statements that are NOT me being spoken by a professional ie I must be abusing alcohol and substances, etc etc. I'm not. If I was I would tell the psych this to her relentless insistence that I am.

The psych must be used to patients lying to her. My friends have lied to their psychs and GPs. It's not uncommon lol. But I can't.

I have presented me, for her to help fix me. Not a misrepresentation of myself painted by her own limitations.

So my act of "kindness" to myself - or obligation - will be to see the psych.
Then see my friend with a terminal illness.
Pick up some kids early from school - their half day.
Then do follow up psych hunting for youngest daughter, then long road...
Then do yuck paperwork for the kids support.

From tomorrow I'm changing things UP. Our jobs are being threatened as of yesterday.

I need to get back to "myself" and get myself together to put my best self forward at work.

My acts of kindness need to be for myself also.

EM

[ecomama]

Time to revive this thread...

As the pandemic goes on and on, it's apparent people's true natures are coming to the fore.

So even if you feel nasty or have been snappy or crabby lately, what's one thing you did for yourself or someone else, even a stranger that was KIND?

Some ideas:
~ send a text to someone asking how they are

~ send a THANK YOU to someone in any way you want to

~ give a treasured neighbour a gift of anything

~ give a Church Food Pantry or Shelter something new you may not want

~ take a long bath.

We give our excess eggs to a family of 5 struggling.

When I'm shopping I always say something to the check out person like "I hope people have been kind to you today?" and the past year, I've never had one say YES THEY HAVE... they talk of the meanness of ppl that day. It's like they need a debriefing session with a Counsellor after some shifts.
If I can share a silly joke with them and make them laugh or smile, it's nice.

Be nice.

Love EM

[Doolhof]

Hi EM,

It doesn't take much to be nice to people.

I like how you try hard to be nice to the people in the shops. It is sad to read that so many shop workers have to deal with less than pleasant people.

Your comments make me realise how easy it is to take people for granted.

Thanks for starting up this thread again. I will be more aware of how I can make a positive difference in other people's lives.

[missep123]

What an amazing thread EM!

It is so nice to think about doing this especially with the challenging times at the moment (even though acts of kindness are always appropriate and should be done!)

Yesterday I went on Instagram and found instagrammers who don't have a lot of followers - but who have great style! I wanted to hype them up so I left a supportive comment! They all got back to me thanking me. That felt nice!

[Elizabeth CP]

Thank you EM. I think no I'm sure you're right. Many of us are extremely stressed and sometimes that spills over into overreacting to minor problems and making things worse. So I'm going to start by thanking you for reviving this thread.

I try to thank anyone serving me at the shops. It takes no effort but I feel better doing it and hopefully the shop assistant feels better knowing they're appreciated.

I try to greet people as I walk past. Just a brief human interaction we need while unable to visit loved ones. Obviously this is done maintaining physical distancing and wearing masks. Most times I get a friendly reply from the other person.

The other day someone from church rang unexpectedly asking how my hsb was. After I answered the question he then asked how I was. I gave my usual polite answer but then was asked more directly how I was really coping. (I'm full time carer for my hsb & he's been having increasing health issues) I was then able to open up and answer the question more truthfully knowing the person really cared. I try to do the same with people I suspect might be struggling. Rather than just accept the offhand 'I'm OK' I try to double check and make it clear I'm willing to listen if they need to talk.

[ecomama]

Hey Dools, for me you already do.
I just know when I see your name, it's going to be something written with empathy and sweetness, must be just the way you are 🙂

Indeed being kind is a struggle for some. I hope they can exercise their kindness muscles and show some strength to be kind!!

For others it comes more naturally like you and so many others here.

I appreciate you being on the forums Dools. I KNOW many others do too. Hugs.

Hey missep lol yes it'd be nice if ppl could think of doing something nice for others ALL the time but I reckon if it wasn't in their "lifestyle" before the pandemic, it ain't gonna be there now!

That's so sweet giving others encouragement via their sm pages!

The greenies I've seen clips of on YT, I decided last night to Subscribe to their channels.

I found a young man's channel who began it during lock down. Seems he lives alone with his mum. He did all these home improvements for him and his mum's home, most on so little money. Just magnificent.
Barely any followers. What a guy though.
So I Subbed to his channel too lol.

I also like Subbing to those who do things for others. Like Lawn Mowing for free! Clearing out drains to prevent flooding for free omg, people after my own heart lol.

It's just a click for me but makes a monetary difference to them.

I took 3 dozen eggs across to Alexa's today. I was allowed to travel due to her needing a trip to the hospital.
I met her new boyfriend! He's so sweet to her, so he's got my approval already - not that they needed it lol.

Anyway HIS mum is a single mum too, so we gave them a dozen eggs too.

Keep kindness flowing peeps, we can do it.

Love EMxxxx