An Act of Kindness
 | Author:
Ellie West, Certified NLP Coach/Practitioner Of Hypnosis and Timeline Therapy
Inside Inspiration: Certified NLP Coach/Practitioner Of Hypnosis and Timeline Therapy |
An Act of Kindness
Ellie West
Certified NLP Coach/Practitioner Of Hypnosis and Timeline Therapy
Summer has many activities, and our days seem to slip away. This past week I had my granddaughters for Nana camp. It was a week of learning, growing, and exploring.
It was a week when I had to think about the positive impact I wanted to instill in them. We began the first day of Nana camp with a craft. I googled some fun ideas and found a YouTube tutorial on string art. It would be a fun and fairly easy project, and as it turns out, they loved the activity.
As we ventured into day two of Nana's camp, we had a day in Helena where they would be introduced to the state capital's history. We boarded the tour train, toured the capital, visited the cathedral, and showed them the house I grew up in. The lady selling tickets to the tour train was kind, smiled, and asked the girls if they were excited to board.
Day two was also their cooking day. The first request was sweet potato fries, but I told them we couldn’t just have that for dinner, so they decided they wanted to learn how to cook steak and sautéed mushrooms. It was such a great experience as they made the complete dinner from start to finish.
Day three was our Act of Kindness Day. Since I visit the two senior centers in our local community every holiday, it would be fitting if the girls participated in their acts of kindness to the senior centers. I bought some blank note cards and had the girls decorate and write a Fourth of July quote on each of the 26 cards, as there are valuable lessons in our everyday life.
It was so fun to take the girls and watch them deliver their handwritten note cards, craft, and cupcakes to the centers. The lady receiving them was so gracious and kind to the girls and told them how much they appreciated the thoughtfulness of the cards and gifts. To see the smiles on their faces knowing that what they just did was a valuable lesson in kindness.
From the centers, we made our way to the hot springs; it was there that we experienced something different from what I was teaching them that day.
My eldest granddaughter discovered a pair of sunglasses in the lady's restroom. Unsure about what to do, she turned to me for guidance. I told her to head toward the front desk, convinced that the rightful owners would be looking for their sunglasses. I watched as she gracefully approached the receptionist and politely said, ”Excuse me, I found these sunglasses in the lady's restroom." Entrusting them to the receptionist's care, she received no acknowledgment.
I took it upon myself to mention to the attendant that today had been designated our "act of kindness day." I believed wholeheartedly that returning the sunglasses was my granddaughter's act of kindness. Although met with a glance, the receptionist chose not to express gratitude for their safe return nor offer a single positive remark to her.
What this scenario did, though, was allow me to explain to my granddaughters that what she did was still the right thing to do as it was an act of kindness. We can affect others positively by speaking and treating others with kindness - kindness is contagious.
The desire to understand the reason for someone’s comment, or lack of, is woven into all of us. Many people have trouble looking at the good in others and themselves. Yet, we all long to be seen as special, important, worthy of love, or simply good enough.
It’s time for all of us to get involved in spreading kindness - kindness travels. We can make a difference just by our conversations. Become an ambassador of kindness, offering kindness and respect to everyone you meet.
Let us not be afraid to commit some random act of kindness. Those intentional acts do add value to others. Take an honest look within yourselves at how you communicate with others, and then make the necessary changes if needed.
Remember, acts of kindness have the power to uplift and inspire others. Empowering others can make a positive difference in their lives and contribute to building a more compassionate and supportive community.
“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people. ~Roy T. Bennett
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