There are kindness challenges, kindness movements, and kindness pleas all over this time of year. Do you find moments of kindness are abundant or hard to find?
Kindness is a choice. Daily. I admit some days I feel like I fail miserably.
What about when we are in the midst of crazy, stressful, over scheduled holiday season? When we are taking our lives in our hands in every retail parking lot.
Yesterday I was in a parking lot driving around looking for a spot. I stopped to let the pedestrian cross in front of me to get to their car. The vehicle behind me proceeded to honk and flash their lights. Why should I be kind?
The holiday season presents more challenges to retailate against the anger. It is a season that presents us unlimited opportunities to practice kindness. Have you ever felt exhausted by the feeling you are the only one choosing kindness?
Last week we talked about small moments that can overwhelm the hard stuff. Kindness is no different. Often there are days during this season that I am hard pressed to find a smile, a kind word, and especially a driver that is not operating in road rage.
I am not sure why kindness should be a challenge. Kind words, a kind gesture, a kind smile they are simple. Yet so complicated. This does not mean to diminish the hard days. The days when you cannot see the good or the glass-half-full. Do you feel like all sanity can go out the window when dealing with the stress of the holiday?
Again, let’s break it down to a daily choice. Sometimes it is even more basic than daily.
How do you practice:
Kindness to yourself
Kindness to your family
Kindness to your community
How about this week our kindness challenge takes us outside of our own stuff. What if we take this week and create an intentional daily kindness act. Whenever I set myself on personal goal or challenge I feel presented by overwhelming opportunities to practice. For example, when I prepare to speak on a topic, like parenting teens, I feel like I have extra fun opportunities to improve my parenting that week.
This week let’s make our kindness intentional. Here is a free printable Week of Kindness to give you daily suggestions on what to do.
Share with us your stories of how kindness made a difference in your week!
Oh kindness matters so much! It isn’t always easy but it sure makes a difference. And when we work to be kind when it’s hard, that’s when it really makes a huge difference.
Being kind all the time can definitely be trying, but we should all try to make the conscious decision to do so – especially during the holiday season! It’ll all come back to us eventually (;
-Jennifer
https://maunelegacy.com
Such a good reminder! It can be so easy to go down the rabbit hole of commercialism. Let’s focus more on how we treat each other.
I have been feeling this HARD lately. Luckily the kindness of the season has been paid forward to me in ways already that make me want to give back to my community in a bag way this upcoming year.
Kindness is very rewarding if we don’t look for reciprocation. Kindness is a choice we make. It would make the world so much better if we make kindness a default response.