Color the world with kindness
The ultimate act of love.
Hello friend,
I have a motto, a mantra, a constant reminder to myself:
In a world where you can be anything, be kind!
~Unknown
If we dare to pay attention, we can see how our friends, neighbors, and total strangers show up with kindness. Riding on my bike, a simple wave from a runner or walker connects us—without words we encourage each other to keep going despite the heat.
My children heard more than once, “Put on your happy face!” Why? Because a smile isn’t only for others, it changes how we see the world. Granted, my grumpy urchins didn’t always miraculously transform. Kindness, compassion, empathy, and generosity require practice.
I wish I could tell you that I show kindness 100 percent every moment of every day. But I try. And when I do, I feel better about myself, and I have a chance to brighten someone else’s day.
So, let’s practice. Mark your calendar: November 13 is World Kindness Day.
Introduced in 1998, “World Kindness Day promotes expressing kindness in our communities and around the world . . . It’s a chance to remember kindness’s power to bring humankind together across political, social, racial, and economic boundaries!”
Where can we begin?
The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation offers seven simple steps to practice making kindness the norm.
Kindness isn’t hard. It doesn’t come with a price tag. We need it now.
“The smallest act in the most limited circumstances bears the seed of…boundlessness, because one deed, and sometimes one word, suffices to change every constellation.”
—Hannah Arendt
More thoughts on kindness to change the world.
Meet Norm who learned how small acts make a difference.
Tap your foot or sing along for kindness: Be Kind by Zak Abel, Try a Little Kindness by Glen Campbell, and Kindness by Ryan Adams
And this week, a poem:
Shoulders
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world’s most sensitive cargo
but he’s not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy’s dream
deep inside him.
We’re not going to be able
to live in this world
if we’re not willing to do what he’s doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
Naomi Shihab Nye, “Shoulders” from Red Suitcase, Copyright © 1994
If you would like to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be waiting for you.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
I always welcome your thoughts, so please leave a comment or click the little heart—you can also respond to this email.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to forward this weekly note to someone who would enjoy a few words of inspiration.
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On World Kindness Day, I will be sending up a prayer around the world—the same one I send out daily but more ebullient because this time, merged with everyone else’s prayer, we will make a big difference. Plus we can all use more kindness in our lives.
Let’s also extend kindness in the words we send out into the world. It’s up to us to exercise that power.
Your words are uplifting. Thank you so much. Hugs and gratitude. I wish you miracles. xo, selma
Luv the Dallas Chihuly image!
Looks like a great place for different captures❤️