The gist of the story: Walking home from school one Friday, a boy noticed another boy (the nerd) carrying a load of books. Watching, he saw a group of kids deliberately knock him down. He felt sorry for the boy and instead of just walking by, he stopped and helped. The boys ended up becoming best friends.
Years later, when graduation came around, the nerd had thrived during high school and was giving the graduation speech. He revealed that the Friday he met his best friend, he planned to kill himself that weekend. That's why he had all his books and belongings from school, to save his mom the grief of having to get them. His best friend, without ever knowing until then, had saved his life with a simple act of kindness and friendship.
This is not the only story about how a kind act actually saved someone's life; there are many such true stories.
The point is: One small act of kindness can turn someone's day around, can turn anger into calmness, can save a life.
And, that act of kindness can have a rippling affect. That high school nerd went on to become a doctor - who knows how many lives he saved or might save. But it doesn't have to be in the form of a doctor, it can be another act of kindness, a smile, a helping hand to someone else.
I recently listened in on a webinar about breaking through your own stumbling blocks, not matter how deep rooted they are. One of the points delved into the fact that each of us is from an original source, most of us consider that source God. Since we're all created by God, we are all basically one.
While this isn't a great revelation, this philosophy has been around a while, it does remind us that we should do unto others as we'd have them do to us . . . since we are all one.
Would you prefer a kind word or an angry word, a smile or a frown, being brought down or encouraged, a slap or a kiss. You get the idea.
Our actions cause reactions in those we interact with - you just never know what that one simple act of kindness or friendliness will cultivate.
The world has many heroes, such as firefighters, those in the military, the police, rescuers, and so on, who risk their lives to help others and save lives. A kind word, an act of kindness, a friendly gesture, while not heroic and on a much smaller scale, has the same capability.
Years ago I listened to a speech about how during the gold rush people worked hard to search through dirt and rock to find gold. It brought out that we should do the same toward people. Rather than quickly finding fault, take the time and effort to search for the good in others. Search for the gold.
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Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
Author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, editor
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