It is the weekend as I am writing this, so most people have been celebrating Valentine’s Day. However, I want to draw a little attention to the lesser known Random Acts of Kindness Day. 🫶 Although I agree that we should really be capable of compassion (and love) every single day, I think this is a good opportunity to share heart-warming stories about how a single gesture of benevolence can create ripples that resonate through space and time. Individually, we might not have the power to change the world, but sometimes, just doing what you can will achieve more than you think. 🤗
“Even The Smallest Candle Burns Brighter In The Dark.”
— Chris Mentillo
A Small Act is a documentary that demonstrates this perfectly. A young boy in Kenya and a woman in Sweden, both separated by thousands of miles back in the 1970s, but whose actions would come to have a huge impact, not just on each other, but many other lives. 🥰 Hilde Back was a teacher who made a choice to help a perfect stranger through a sponsorship program. It didn’t cost her a lot of money, but the difference she made to Chris Mburu’s life was profound. His family could not afford to send him to secondary school, however Back’s little cheque each month allowed him to further his education. Today, he is a Harvard graduate and prominent Human Rights Lawyer. 🌎
As an adult, he went searching for Hilde Back, who it turned out was a Holocaust survivor. She herself only managed to escape Nazi Germany with the aid of another stranger, and had no idea that the boy she ended up supporting would later dedicate his life to fighting the same kind of hatred that killed her family and drove her from her home. Not long after Mburu found her, he set up the Hilde Back Education Fund (which has in turn benefitted hundreds of children), and the circle was complete. 👌
A single candle can light a thousand more without diminishing itself.
— Hillel the Elder
Of course none of us will be any good to anyone if we did not also look after our own well-being. In order to be in a position to help someone else, it is important to make time for self-care. Easier said than done these days, though I try to squeeze into my morning a minute or two of meditation (in the form of a breathing exercise) just before I get out of my car at work. 🧘🏻♀️ There are lots of free(ish) phone apps (such as Flourish, Calm, BetterSleep, Medito, and Finch) which are great for that. I have tried a bit of yoga, but have not completely made up my mind about that. Soundbaths (especially at bedtime), ASMR, and guided meditation workshops (plus the odd spa treatment) have been more effective. Exercise (and a good diet) is crucial as well, so in addition to light workouts (I freely admit to being a little lax when it comes to keeping up with that) at home, I also go out for short walks. 🌿 Studies have shown that being in the presence of nature can greatly improve our health, so I try to fit that in when increasing my step count. It is a marvellous way of grounding yourself and resetting your chakras.
Lots of people, myself included, have discovered that affirmations can really get you through the day, particularly when faced with stress and challenges. Again, you can download apps (like the above-mentioned ones) that generate them, or even create your own. 🫙 I made up a positivity jar full of motivational quotes for my daughter not so long ago, and after a meditation workshop, was encouraged to start my own happy jar. Here’s a pic of it below… with Pikachu (a gift from my brother when we were kids) looking on approvingly. 😁
I am slowly adding to my jar, and have thus far filled it with inspirational notes from people I care about, along with several mementoes — including a clear quartz crystal for clarity (thanks to my boss), a bookmark left to me by my late father-in-law on which he’d written “reading to the mind is what exercise is to the body” 📖, my daughter’s baby scan 👼🏻, along with a little bracelet she made for me, a thoughtful farewell message from a friend who has returned to Brazil, and a pressed flower 🌼 (with a few loving words) from my husband. They serve as a reminder to count my blessings whenever I feel down.
Another item which also brings me much joy is the sea bean my husband gave me near the beginning of our relationship. Now, there’s a story! I call it the tale of two sea beans… Also known as sea hearts (for obvious reasons), David got them when he was a little boy. He kept one for himself, but did not give the matching heart to anybody till he met me. 😍 These sea beans are known for travelling long distances across oceans/continents, yet these two have ended up on the same shores. 🌊🏝 The heart on the left is glossier as David has polished it (by hand) over the years… a real labour of love. Mine still has some way to go. I’d left it under a pile of my desk debris and only excavated it a few days ago. 🤭 I did place it in my happy jar at first, then decided to have it within reach. I am happy to say my heart is now in a better place, on my bedside table to be precise. 😅
