Try kindness today..!
Robert Clements
Sunday, December 19, 2010 - Was trying to take a right turn the other day, to get onto the highway; being a Sunday, the signals were off. I struggled as car after car rushed forward to block me from taking the turn.
I stared with dismay at each driver as he closed in; either his face was turned away or he stared back with wolfish sneer, “Aha!” he seemed to say, “Lets see you make that turn!” “Where?” I asked myself, “was kindness?”These were not murderers or gangsters, they were all good, respected family men who loved their wives and children but kindness to a stranger was different, wasn’t it? It was a cold, rainy day in July. Across the room in one of those garment export tailoring shops where Sita worked, sat Zakia, a woman about Sita’s own age. Other workers did not like Zakia; they thought her to be snobbish and aloof.
And Sita agreed. But sweeping the bias from her eyes, she made up her mind to say something kind to her. Finally, she managed, “Do you know, Zakia, that I’ve worked in this room with you for several years, and whenever I glance up I see your head silhouetted against the window there behind you. I think you have the prettiest profile and hair I have ever seen on anybody!”Her words were not insincere flattery. She meant it. Zakia looked up and began to cry. “That’s the first kind word anybody has ever said to me in all the years I’ve worked here,” she said.
Sita discovered that Zakia’s aloofness was not due to snobbishness, but shyness. The two became friends. Other workers soon began to include Zakia in their activities, and she blossomed like a flower that, for the first time, found sunlight. The right words, spoken in kindness, changed a life!
Says Tanya Munshi, “In our fast-paced life, kindness is often forgotten. Kindness is the simplest emotion we can offer to a person, an animal or a plant. But did you know being kind is also good for you, not just the person you are being kind to?”
“It boosts your self-worth and makes you feel important. Positive acts generate a sense of wellbeing, which in turn uplifts your spirits and keeps you optimistic and happy. And staying happy boosts your self-esteem. It reduces stress levels in your body, which helps you stay healthy since being happy boosts your immune system.” “Kindness also drives tensions away and is a cure for depression.” All this just for being kind!
So next time you see a bearded guy desperately trying to take a right turn, stop awhile and let him do so; you’re being kind to him and yes, kind to yourself too my friend..!
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
I stared with dismay at each driver as he closed in; either his face was turned away or he stared back with wolfish sneer, “Aha!” he seemed to say, “Lets see you make that turn!” “Where?” I asked myself, “was kindness?”These were not murderers or gangsters, they were all good, respected family men who loved their wives and children but kindness to a stranger was different, wasn’t it? It was a cold, rainy day in July. Across the room in one of those garment export tailoring shops where Sita worked, sat Zakia, a woman about Sita’s own age. Other workers did not like Zakia; they thought her to be snobbish and aloof.
And Sita agreed. But sweeping the bias from her eyes, she made up her mind to say something kind to her. Finally, she managed, “Do you know, Zakia, that I’ve worked in this room with you for several years, and whenever I glance up I see your head silhouetted against the window there behind you. I think you have the prettiest profile and hair I have ever seen on anybody!”Her words were not insincere flattery. She meant it. Zakia looked up and began to cry. “That’s the first kind word anybody has ever said to me in all the years I’ve worked here,” she said.
Sita discovered that Zakia’s aloofness was not due to snobbishness, but shyness. The two became friends. Other workers soon began to include Zakia in their activities, and she blossomed like a flower that, for the first time, found sunlight. The right words, spoken in kindness, changed a life!
Says Tanya Munshi, “In our fast-paced life, kindness is often forgotten. Kindness is the simplest emotion we can offer to a person, an animal or a plant. But did you know being kind is also good for you, not just the person you are being kind to?”
“It boosts your self-worth and makes you feel important. Positive acts generate a sense of wellbeing, which in turn uplifts your spirits and keeps you optimistic and happy. And staying happy boosts your self-esteem. It reduces stress levels in your body, which helps you stay healthy since being happy boosts your immune system.” “Kindness also drives tensions away and is a cure for depression.” All this just for being kind!
So next time you see a bearded guy desperately trying to take a right turn, stop awhile and let him do so; you’re being kind to him and yes, kind to yourself too my friend..!
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
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