My Random Acts of Kindness month challenge

This month I have been inspired by my cyber friend Melissa to take part in her Random Acts of Kindness challenge.

This is something that has always been close to my heart. I love how the tiniest and most simple thing can make my day and it’s great to share that love around the planet by performing simple acts of love to others.

It feels a little awkward to write what you have done as a random act of kindness. Part of me thinks it isn’t worth writing about, as it’s just a part of human nature to be kind. Another part (and this is the big part for me) is that writing about it somehow feel a little egotistical. Another part is that I often don’t notice the things I do because it’s just who I am.

Mr Green is wonderful for pointing things out to me from an objective viewpoint. I don’t talk about many of the things I do because I assume everyone is the same. Truth is, we’re not all the same and we all have different and unique talents that make us, us………..

So it’s been a great challenge because it has forced me to step outside my comfort zone. Not actually performing Random Acts of Kindness, but with noticing, writing about them and giving myself credit for them.

As I am working through a great book at the moment called ‘Overcoming Low Esteem’ by Melanie Fennell (click on the book below to buy!) with my cognitive behaviour therapist, this challenge is a timely one and I’m just going to feel the fear and do is anyway by sharing some thoughts here.

What is so beautiful about performing these daily acts of kindness and bringing awareness to them, is that the Universe has a wonderful and synchronistic way of holding up mirrors for us.

Let me relay a story.

Yesterday a friend called. He had taken down a light as part of some home improvements, not taken note of which wires went where, got himself in a bit of a muddle and was without a bathroom light. To call out an electrician would cost him #30 just to get the guy to ring on his doorbell, add to that a couple of hours labour, perhaps some wiring and some umming and ahhing for good measure and he’d probably have spent about #100.

Mr Green knows his electrics, so we went over this morning and did the job for him.

It’s nothing really is it? Friends help friends and it helps makes the world go around. But now this challenge has helped me to realise that actually, not all people would respond in the same way. It wasn’t convenient for us to go, it’s quite a long trip (and we’re trying not to use the car too much due to silly fuel prices), we had other things planned and it took the entire morning, once we had driven there and back. So, in effect our friend saved money and it COST us, in both money and in other ways.

But then two beautiful things happened on the way home to continue this cycle of giving.

We called into a place that sells recycled water barrels and picked one up. The guy there told me that they cost #12.50, but I could have it for #11 as long as I put #1.50 in Little Miss green’s savings account. I told him that she was saving up for the pram and would be delighted, so he blessed us on our way and asked me to put this money towards her pram.

Next, Mr Green was chopping a tonne of wood when a neighbour came over and absolutely insisted that he give him a hand. So instead of having to cut and stack, Mr Green only had to do the cutting. When you get through over 6 tonnes a year, that’s a lot of labour saved.

Over the past year or so I have given baking, extra food from our cupboards and given lifts to the family that helped us with the wood, so thus the great wheel of giving and sharing continues.
Why don’t you start noticing just how abundant and giving the Universe is? I bet if you let someone infront of you in the supermarket queue or reach something off the top shelf for someone, the chances are the Universe will bring you something wonderful too.

In the simplest way, Little miss Green has the Diana Cooper angel cards. The ‘kindness’ one reads “Be kind to someone today and your angel will bring something good for you too.”

It’s not that you do something with the intent that something will come to you in return; it’s all about trust and faith and letting go. In the release and in the altruism of your motives, it opens up the potential for good things to flow into your life.

Things you might never have dreamed as possible……………

What will you do today with love in your heart to make someone else’s day more special?