By Lianne Thompson
We’re operating in a culture that pays for attention. I’m asking you to give me the gift of your attention. Please read through what’s written here and let it inside your heart and mind.
Yesterday was a good day for me, beginning with a blood draw by Erin, a skilled and kind phlebotomist. She really knew her business, and her quick, painless extraction meant I could later receive essential health information. She said that small acts of kindness create a community of care, and she spoke her smiling truth. “Small acts of kindness: we need to do small acts of kindness for each other.”
I moved on to get local smoked salmon from Shannon, whose whole face beams with intelligence and good humor, even when he’s talking about challenging customers on the other side of the counter. We discussed affluent tourists asking for special deals to shortchange hard-working locals, instead of tipping them to demonstrate respect and appreciation. He also noted that customers give him higher tips than his female coworker for the same work. Social justice impacts were called out, spoken with calmly, by a kind and strong man.
Then I saw my friend Nancy, that ninety-year-old natural wonder, whose relentless positivity and good work focus on creating a natural history park at the Mill Ponds in Seaside. Her personal yard now blooms with pollinator species to nourish birds and bees. As she and I hung out in her backyard pergola, the message on her swing proclaimed, “You’re never too old to swing,” as we rocked and talked about our projects, political issues and players.
Here’s my challenge: How do I translate my experience into something that adds direct value to your life? There’s no way for me to know; I can only guess.
Here’s my best guess: Aim for joy. Deal with what you get. Listen to the voice of your conscience, the voice or intuition that nudges at your awareness. Maybe you’ve seen the cartoon with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other shoulder of the cartoon character. What does the better angel of your nature have to say to you? What does your worse, darker self say? Listen to both, and be willing to fail, to do the wrong thing. But try something.
If you’re learning from your experience, it’s all good experience. Are other people involved? So much the better. We’re all the instruments of each other’s growth and development.
Small acts of kindness can make the difference. Being kind to ourselves first, we can praise people who help us maintain our health. We can appreciate and listen to people who feed us. We can admire and hang out with people who show us how to do good in the world. We can have faith that tools used in service of small acts of kindness sustain and enhance positive change in the world. Please see yourself as a child of the Divine Eternal and do small acts of kindness for yourself and others.