Spend Kindness

Spend Kindness

At the end of yoga class today, I heard some wonderful words about a way to practice kindness. It’s something anyone, and everyone, can do, every day. Here’s how it works. Imagine for a moment, if you will, that each of us has a great big treasure chest. Let’s call that treasure chest our “kindness account.” I have one. You have one. Every single person has one. Each day when we wake up, each of our individual chests is full of kindness. As it was presented to me today, my chest is like a savings account with interest that keeps on building and building.

Now here’s the part that I think is just great. To keep the chest filling up and growing, all of the kindness in each of our chests must be spent during the day– completely spent–so, that at the end of the day, when we close our eyes to sleep, there is absolutely nothing left inside of it.

The magic happens next! When we wake up in the morning, each one of our chests is full to the top once again. Our task at hand, and the most important one of all, is to spend all that kindness in any, and every way we can, every day. You can fill in the blanks as to how, when, where, and to whom you share your kindness. Spend Kindness…how about that for a job description! 

Kindness is a currency that wants to be shared. When it is shared, it returns to us with interest that is doubled, tripled, and more. We may not see it returned in the ways that we expect, or when we expect, but be assured that it always will return, and usually at the perfect time, too.

Spending kindness, brings kindness. It doesn’t matter if we are acknowledged for spreading kindness. It doesn’t matter if someone knows or doesn’t know what we are doing. Maybe it just starts with a smile and a hello to the next person you see. It doesn’t cost a penny to do it. 

Now, I know you may be thinking, “Well that’s nice, but what about those people who will take advantage of me?” I’m sure all of us have had the experience of being taken advantage of at one time or another. That’s life, right? And, life gives us lessons to learn. Let’s try to hold the thought that most folks are not going to take advantage of us, but will pass kindness on to others, too. When they do, they will find their own kindness chest refilled each day, and when they open it up each morning they will be greeted with the words, “Be Kind.”

Oh and while you are at it, be sure to spend a little of that kindness currency on yourself, too. Make that cup of tea, enjoy a breather, take that walk, smell the roses, gardenias, or sweet peas, or just take a deep breath and be grateful to be alive. 

Love, 
Kate