Monday morning I got in the car to drive to my local coffee shop for a coconut milk mocha and some writing time. When I got in the car the radio was already on and they were talking about the holiday, World Kindness Day. Now, I don’t know that it actually qualifies as a holiday but I do find it interesting that there are enough people throughout the expanse of the globe that have come together to declare Monday November 13th World Kindness Day.
I know this is a bit of a fun trend that has picked up some speed over the past couple of years, national ice cream day, national chocolate day, national wear your pajamas all day”day”. Ok, I’m not entirely certain that the last one is an actual “day”, but I think we can all agree that it should be. My best guess is that some clever public relations person came up with and coined a specific day national (whatever) day to promote a product, that garnered attention and has become a fun excuse for us to indulge in whatever it is that we are celebrating on that day, whether it is national margarita day or national cupcake day (these might be two of my favorites).
So now it seems that almost every day is a national day of some kind, a fun excuse to indulge in tacos or slurpees, or just about anything else. I find it kind of incredible that lumped in with these silly, superficial celebrations a difficult to define virtue is so important to so many that it is a day known internationally and important enough that some would even consider it a holiday.
A few years ago a friend mentioned to me that they had run into a mutual acquaintance and I came up in conversation and this mutual acquaintance spoke of me as being sweet and kind. This is a generous statement and wonderful compliment, but the thing that stuck out to me was the word kind. I felt like this was the highest measure of a compliment one could receive. To me the word kind encompasses so much, its more than nice or friendly, its brotherly love, generosity, and compassion, grace and mercy. I have heard it described as a pleasant disposition or compassion for others and it is recognized as a value in most cultures. It is hard to pinpoint with just a few words, like benevolent, helpful or humane. But we all know it when we experience it don’t we? When we experience the kindness of a loved one, acquaintance or a stranger it can stop us in our tracks or leave us in awe. Kindness is something we can’t work for or earn, it’s not something we have a right to, but rather a gift we are given from someone else.
It requires so much strength to show kindness, because it isn’t limited only to those that we like or that are like minded. Kindness, true kindness, is shown across all boundaries and borders, even to those we are at opposition with. Can you imagine the impact it might have if we all practiced world kindness day. What if we practiced one act of kindness a day or walked in kindness every day, even in those difficult moments and with those difficult people. One act of kindness can change someone’s path, give them hope, bring peace and make a difference.
Sadly, most of us don’t often think much of kindness. When we hear the word we might think of it as an attribute that some people have or a personality trait. I’ve looked at several definitions and the one I think that most accurately portrays kindness is: a good disposition, considerate, the ability to recognize the needs of others and take steps to meet those needs; it’s understanding and compassion. Might I take it a step further and suggest that we all have the ability for kindness, to take steps to be kind to one another in different circumstances, and maybe, just maybe it is more than an act it can also be a state of being. We can all walk in kindness, that kindness itself can be our disposition ready to be lived out at any moment.
I love that there is a World Kindness Day, the mere idea of what could happen if the whole world practiced this for just one day is limitless. As you eat your Raisin Bran cereal or clean out your refrigerator today on November 15th for National Raisin Bran Cereal day and National clean out your refrigerator day (there is a day for every thing), think about the possibilities of practicing kindness everyday. You will, without a doubt Find Beauty in kindness.
