“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” – William Wordsworth
Kindness and love are the protein of the soul, the building blocks of goodness and love. Random acts of kindness, doing the right thing, smiling at a stranger, or giving a friendly wave to your neighbor are among the foods that nourish the soul. They may at first blush seem simple but they are equally as powerful as if you gave thousands of dollars away. Money burns up but kindness and love live on. So nourish your soul with the good food. Kindness and love are the only currency that really matters.
If I am just a small pebble of kindness and compassion tossed into the sea of humanity my ripples will still be felt on the shores of sadness and despair. Joining with others who care deeply for all humankind, our ripples will become the dawn of new hope and possibility.
If two people met on the street and your name came up in conversation, what would they say about you? If your mirror could tell its tale, what would it reflect?
Be nice. It’s a lot easier than being mean.
Hate hate in all its forms.
We need good stories. People helping people. Caring. Giving. Loving. When enough of these stories well up from our common humanity they will drown out the hatred and bile that seem to dominate the present moment. Be one of the good people.
There is goodness in the world although it doesn’t seem like it. We often have to look hard to find it but it’s there, hidden beneath the gloom and doom. Keep searching for it’s worth the effort and while you’re looking be the goodness you are looking for.
Love like a mother loves her child.
Earth and Heaven come together when we smile at a stranger, commit an act of kindness, or we are simply good. Not because we want to be patted on the back but because we would rather do it without being noticed.
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain
The Bodhisattva practices great kindness.” – Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
Let your kindness shine through every day. Rediscover the child in your heart.
Author’s Note: In Mahayana Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a person who is able to reach nirvana but delays doing so out of compassion in order to save suffering beings.