5 Acts of Kindness- Simple yet Significant
Dr. Wayne Dyer famously wrote:
“When given the choice between being right and being kind, choose kind.”
This is one of my favorite quotes from the book ‘Wonder’ that I read a while ago and this has resonated with me with a lot of things I do in my daily life.
Earlier I had this belief that I had to get something really big done to create an impact but over the course of time I realize that one of the smallest acts done with a pure intention can create a ripple of kindness and happiness around you.
To put my thought to practicality, I took part in a social exercise to actually look at the impact my small acts had on people around me. It was simple yet significant. I had to perform 5 acts of kindness within 24 hours. It was a reflective activity, more of which I’ll share as I share my experience.
1. Crafted a Care box for a dear friend
As a hostelite, I know what it means to be around family and whenever I’m home, I try to make the most of it. During this pandemic, I’m blessed to be home, however, we still have people around who couldn’t make it to their homes because of the closure of international flights due to the lockdown. One of my friends who I adore a lot has been stranded here since then and it’s almost more than a year that she has visited family. While it’s really upsetting for her, I tried making something to uplift her mood and make her happy for Eid, a care box! Using a recycled box (because caring for the environment is as important!), I added items that would make her feel special and would bring a smile on her face. A hand crafted Eid card, some Eidi, some wall art, and most importantly some chocolates- Here we have a personalized care box.
It is yet to be sent to her via courier service but making this box and telling her a little about it, I know she’s so excited to open it. This was my first time making one but I feel it’s so important to look around and care for people be it a small gesture. One doesn’t have to do anything grand, just something as small as this.
2. Lending a helping hand to the gardener
Summers in Multan are the toughest, and working outside with a temperature of almost 50 degrees is no less than a torture. I see our gardener has been working every alternate day, coming around 11 a.m. and has been cleaning the lawn, watering the plants and making sure that the plants are taken great care of. After he’s done, I see how dehydrated and tired he gets yet he keeps working because he has a family to look after as well and needs to work. While couldn’t do much in the capacity to help him, I decided to divide a few of his work and do it early in the morning. Now that it’s a routine, around 5 a.m., I water the plants, clean the lawn and arrange the pots back in order. I even clean my indoor plants with my magic spray!
It’s therapeutic for me, but more than that, it’s one lesser lawn to look after at 11 a.m. for when he’s working around. And he’s really thankful for all the help and consideration, I have a sense of fulfillment that’s indescribable.
3. A Quarantine birthday can still be Happy!
While we all love to celebrate but in the recent times of a pandemic, it’s also important to be socially aware of individuals around us.
I have a friend who loves big celebratory parties and was really sad to not have one this year, so instead of being preachy about the whole situation, I decided to make her a handmade card and write a sort of a letter as to how she’s being the real hero by not going for party and not putting everyone at risk. She was touched by the write-up I had in the card and I know she’s still sad about not celebrating but she’s fully convinced as to how important it is to stay at home as well.
4. Kindness to all living beings!
Our kindness must not be restricted to only humans around us but to all living beings. We experience harsh summers so it’s very important to take care of birds and animals outside and make sure they’re well fed and hydrated. My mother initiated this idea to put bird feeders on our light post to make sure birds had access to clean water and they didn’t remain thirsty for long. Every day when I see countless birds feeding from it, it brings a sense of contentment that a little act of kindness can be so meaningful. I try my best to put my chunk of effort daily by filling the pots with fresh water and bajra- bird feed!
5. Preserve what’s precious to avoid inconvenience
While this may not be the most aesthetically pleasing picture, it was the one that saved the entire family from a lot of inconvenience.
I was home alone when I realized that we may run out of water as the colony motors were faulty, I decided to fill in all the buckets and containers in the washrooms and kitchen to ensure we had water for emergency and we used it by measure.
As soon as my family returned they were thankful that I did so as the motor took 24 hours for maintenance and during the entire time everyone was mindful of how much water they used and tried preserving the most of it.
