“We ought to do good to others as simply as a horse runs, or a bee makes honey, or a vine bears grapes season after season without thinking of the grapes it has borne.”
— Marcus Aurelius
This week has found me in a teensy bit of a funk – a writing funk, a confidence funk, a life funk. Maybe it’s the constant barrage of negative stories in the media. Horrific accounts of death and violence, hatred and judgment, political mudslinging and hypocrisy. Or maybe it is the fact that my husband is in the midst of a particularly busy month at work, traveling a lot and logging extra-long hours. Or maybe it is just the sudden chill in the air, a lack of sleep, too much sugar, and too little caffeine.
Whatever the reason, nothing brings me out of a funk like focusing on the goodness that surrounds me. Those random acts of kindness that often get overlooked, but make life so richly and sweetly delicious. So here is a list of just a few examples of the kindness that I have witnessed or received in the past week. Feel free to add your own in the comments below and help spread the kindness around.
- My 6-year-old son pausing in the midst of a wild game of Pirates at the park to help his younger brother.
- The neighbor girls feeding and caring for our dogs while we are out of town.
- My 2-year-old son running to the front door to give my husband one extra kiss before he left for the airport.
- My good friend, J., who shares her abundant bounty of fresh and delicious home-grown vegetables.
- My mom watching the boys while I go UW Badger football games on Saturdays.
- My husband’s constant acts of support for my writing endeavors (and his tolerance of my melodramatic moods).
- My mother-in-law’s babysitting help.
- The kid at the bike store who didn’t charge me to fix my son’s broken bike tire.
- My friend, B., taking my son to swimming lessons this week since I couldn’t make it.
- Readers giving kind and supportive feedback on my recent blog posts (here, here, and here).
- My 6-year-old son giving his friend, Lucy, a sweetly innocent – and totally spontaneous – kiss on the cheek when they said goodbye at the park.
Yes, life is good, people. Especially when we see good and do good. Help spread the warm and fuzzies by sharing the acts of kindness that you have seen or felt this week.
2 Comments
Hi Christie, I’m fairly new to your blog, and I’m enjoying your beautiful and thoughtful writing. Sometimes it is so hard to see the beauty in the world in the face of all the negativity, especially in the media. But you are so right that it is all the little things that add up and fill our hearts. Tonight, while I was making dinner, my seven year old was pushing his one year old brother in the baby swing. I could see them out the window and it filled my heart with happiness. Then, Hubby was telling me about some football players who are working to spread awareness about children’s cancer (we lost a son to cancer). You realize that the good outweighs the bad.
Thank you. I am so sorry about the loss of your son. It is great that you are able to see the joy through all the sadness. All the best to you and your family. Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts. It means more than you know.