Welcome to Day 13 of our Giving Thanks project. Yesterday we paid homage to the elixir of life…COFFEE! So many of us rely on this delicious jolt of caffeine to get us through our day. In fact, I’m drinking a large hazelnut-flavored coffee as I type this. I can’t imagine a morning without it. If you missed that post, you can find it here: I NEED COFFEE!
I’m so excited because today is WORLD KINDNESS DAY 🙂 According to Inspirekindness.com, World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. World Kindness Day was formed in 1998, to promote kindness throughout the world and is observed annually on November 13 as part of the World Kindness Movement. On a day devoted to the positive potential of both large and small acts of kindness, try to promote and diffuse this crucial quality that brings people of every kind together (National Today).
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
Princess diana
Now more than ever, the world needs more kindness. What is kindness exactly? You will find many definitions when you do a search on google but I really like this one: Kindness Is Love In Action.
It might be more helpful to share a list of words that are synonymous with kindness:
| helpfulness | compassion |
| generosity | warmheartedness |
| friendliness | thoughtfulness |
| goodness | warmth |
| courtesy | decency |
| affection | benevolence |
| magnanimity | sweetness |
| philanthropy | service |
| altruism | selflessness |
| tenderness | consideration |
| humanity | kindheartedness |
| care | concern |
| gentleness | good intention |
| benignity | bigheartedness |
| kindliness | charity |
| hospitality | graciousness |
As we talk about kindness with our friends, colleagues, families, and especially our children. Here is a shortlist of questions to help each of us reflect on the power of kindness, courtesy of our good friends at Inspire Kindness.
Questions to Reflect on Kindness
- When you think of what kindness means to you, what words or actions come to mind?
- What was the last act of kindness that you saw? How did it make you feel?
- What was the last act of kindness that you received? How did it make you feel?
- Now, can you think of the last act of kindness you completed? How were you kind to someone else? How did it make you feel?
- What would happen if you committed to performing at least one act of kindness every day?
Ok – Now get out there and start spreading kindness around like confetti! Kindness is contagious, so you never know how your small acts of kindness might send ripples around the world!!
Until next time, be kind, and keep looking for the goodness around you.
With gratitude,
Denise 🙂