Kindness

“I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good thing, therefore, that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow human being let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
Stephen Grellet, 1773-1855 - French-born Quaker Minister

This is one of my favorite quotes. The message can be boiled down into five words. “Do Good. Be Kind. Now.” Such a simple concept, but a tall order.  

I was thinking how wonderful it would be if we all adopted this as our motto in Hutchinson. What kind of community would we have if we were all making a conscious effort to be kind and do good right now? I’m not suggesting we aren’t all trying to do this anyway, I’m saying it might be different if we were all making a conscious effort toward these goals.

Am I a bit of a Pollyanna? Maybe. I’ve been accused of such things on more than one occasion. But, I think there’s wisdom in looking for opportunities to be happy, to enjoy life, and to do good when possible.

Maybe we could have a flurry of Random Acts of Kindness in our little burg. Maybe we could…
push the cart left in the parking lot into the store as we go…
be a little extra patient with the frazzled store clerk…
say hello to the person we’re passing on the street…
tip the server an extra couple of dollars…
write a note to the fifth grade teacher that really made a difference in our lives…
let the person behind us have the plum parking space…
buy some extra food to take to the Food Bank…
help entertain the three year old at the doctor’s office while his mother handles the baby…
check on the elderly lady down the street…
offer some home-grown tomatoes to the widower across the street…
pick up some trash in the park…
help a co-worker with a project with no complaints, only smiles…
say thank you and really mean it…
or a thousand other things.

Can you imagine what an impact it would have in our community if everyone at WUH did some little something extra every day? Even every other day?

What are we waiting for? We shall not pass this way again. Why not make the most of it right now? Have you ever noticed how the littlest thing that can make someone happy, and by extension make you happy?

Our daily lives are filled with opportunity to do good and be kind right now. I’m going to try and take advantage of some of those opportunities. I hope you will too, and share with us here. We could have a running inventory here, which I think would be really cool.

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Didn't your momma teach you to share? Share us.

Users' Comments (4)

Posted by Pam Lyle 08-22-2008 08:12, , Guest   There is nothing better in this world than a bunch of "pollyanna's" - let's get teeshirts - ha! I'm on a mission..with the economy and the nation the way it is today and everyone struggling - just even thinking of doing things like this is excellent. Great idea Patsy!! So simple, so good.   » Reply to this comment...   Posted by patsyterrell 08-25-2008 23:40, , Registered   I think people often don't do the little things because they thing they won't matter. I believe just the opposite - that the little things are the ones that make someone's day.   » Reply to this comment...   Posted by farleys_fruit_snacks 08-26-2008 09:27, , Registered   I don't like tomatoes, but I like growing things. Coincidentally, tomatoes are one of the only things I can grow well. I planted 4 plants this year. So far I've given away about 5 dozen tomatoes, and eaten about 1/2 of one (an heirloom variety I hadn't had before).   » Reply to this comment...   Posted by patsyterrell 08-26-2008 16:07, , Registered   I've been sharing tomatoes and other garden goodies, too. It's fun. I'm reminded of the old Garrison Keillor joke about how you can't leave your car unlocked this time of year or someone will put some garden produce in it. I'm fond of the approach of just leaving it on my neighbor's porches when they're out.   » Reply to this comment...

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