Small kindnesses.
The magnitude of the gift is amplified by the situation of the recipient.
I was hiking on Monday and I overheard two ladies who were hiking in the same direction. One was telling the other about an incident in a race where the spectator support had made a big difference, had made her day.
I don’t remember what it was, whether it was some small morsel of food, a popsicle, or a drink or a kind word – but whatever the spectator gave her was the perfect thing at the critical time that allowed her to push on, to struggle through a rough patch and overcome.
As I listened to the story I thought about how that spectator never knew that they had done this thing to change the outcome of this other person’s day and life.
I’d like you to think about that. As you go through life you have the choice to hand out small kindnesses. (You could also be one of those people who hands out small evils). I’d also like you to be aware of the power you have to change other people’s lives with these throw away gestures. These small kindnesses.
It’s a bit awe inspiring and scary if you think about it. You have the power to change someone’s day but with that power you also have the responsibility to be mindful of this power and to be careful about what you leave in your wake as you hike through life.
What I overheard on that long, hot hike was an example of the butterfly’s wing beat causing a small hurricane.
So, my friends, let’s spend today, this week, focusing on how our small kindnesses our positive actions can be largely, hugely, leveraged beyond our scope of knowing to change the lives of other travelers who momentarily cross our path on this great journey.
And as you are doing that I’ll see you out there.
I think that is exactly true. I sent an email to someone yesterday because every time I open the Skype app on my computer his picture is the first to pop up. It is goofy picture of him striking a goofy pose. This is a man who has spent the last several years in a wheelchair but his attitude has remained positive throughout. Anyway, everytime I open the app I see his picture and that goofy pose and I laugh or smile and it changes my attitude for the entire day. Its amazing how something so small as a smile can turn a persons day around.