A little kindness never hurts A little kindness goes a long way A little kindness brings back abundant love Why am I so hell-bent on this word, KINDNESS? Maybe because nowadays kindness is rare.
A month ago, I was travelling to Mumbai when I happened to share my background with a couple of students in a writing class. I went on and on, telling them about AWAG and its incredible contribution towards social betterment.
After a minute or two I realised that my voice fell on deaf ears. I don’t want to give you the impression that the world is unempathetic, so I would say merely 2-3 % of people in the room were with me when I ended my speech.
My takeaway? Nobody gives a damn whether you are helping underprivileged children learn a lesson or two or run a charity program for arthritis-struck patients.
But does that mean you stop thinking about what’s going on in China and how many people are affected by the Coronavirus or overlook the pain of your maid who suffers domestic violence day in and out? Guess not!
While I say KINDNESS is this or that, I would also like to go back to the beginning of this blog and say, KINDNESS is a brave action. (Alright a brave abstract noun)
You can feel your pain, commiserate with yourself, you can go out and tell people about it and only hope that they will help you feel better. But it’s way more difficult to show kindness towards others. It takes quite a nerve to listen to someone else’s unrest and feel the pain in the cleaning of their wounds.
As a child, I often wondered what is Love? Is it all those mushy things they write in the Mills and Boons series or all those celebrations happening on the big V day? Which brings me to the next set of jibber-jabber.
Everyone is talking about Valentine’s day. It’s not like my college days when this thing was for teenagers, or youngsters or people in love. Just two days ago I was scrolling my newsfeed and I happened to read a post about how dog-lovers are going to give back to their pets this Valentine’s. Likewise, I also read how companies, big or small are going big on branding taking Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to drive sales.
Where am I heading? I want to come back and say that now when I have finally hit 30, that I understand what Love is. It’s nothing but a pure form of kindness. It’s more abstract than that, but yes, it’s surely care, concern and all those other synonyms in the dictionary.
If you don’t have anyone to play cupid this Valentine’s (or maybe you have), I suggest you step out of the box and give back love on this 14th. It doesn’t have to be much, not even something you need to share on social. It has to be from the heart.
I could think of the below possible ways to make your Valentine’s day a memorable one. Let’s see what we have got here.
- Sit with your parents and you will never regret that time. The aunty on Instagram inspired me to have this on top of my list. Check her out at https://instagram.com/motherwithsign?igshid=1n1bndn7tkcbk
- Take your little one out for an ice-cream. Being a mother of a 3- year-chimp, I can’t tell you how much I love my Lil’ one. People say he will grow up in a jiffy and I do agree to it.
- Teach a local class some local art. We all are good at something. Making up stories, doing wall art. Engage community children in nice storytelling or bring them together to paint your garden wall. It’s a great way to let your creative juices flow.
- Make a friend. Sounds weird? But honestly, this one will help you go a long way. I am not talking about hitting-a-bar kind of a friend, I’m talking about befriending someone whom you think can use a friend. You don’t have to do this out of sympathy. You do it because you want to.
- C’mmon, seriously? Well, yes seriously! I am not telling you to adopt someone literally. You can sponsor a child’s education or visit your nearest zoo and adopt a flock of pigeons. You will see love coming back to you in various ways
- Dedicate a day/slot. Specially-abled individuals or sick people at your local hospital can always use some help. You can help them, coach, read or spend some quality time. We all are running. It’s a constant race. If you sit with someone and give your time, there’s nothing like it!
- Love your neighbours. Cheesy but true. I have an old couple staying next door. The aunty can hardly hear, but whenever I cook something delicious, I make it a point to share with them. The good, old smile on her face lights up my day! You can try that out too. Even if your neighbours are rude, insolent or loud or have lots of children.
- Be cheerful and don’t forget to smile. You don’t have to keep doing that all the time. Maybe when you meet someone in the elevator or when you open the door to the milkman. It’s a long-term investment. The interest will only quadruple from one V-day to the next.
- Volunteer in a nonprofit. I still remember people coming to AWAG from across the world. They would create films, helps us with our website or make us more equipped in greater and tech-savvy ways. Likewise, a lot of organisations can use your skills. Write to them. You will find your place.
- Go easy on yourself. Most of us forget that. Maybe we are too busy to reflect upon that fact or simply take ourselves for granted. You need to go easy on yourself. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes, Love yourself for what you are. Your new year’s resolutions might have had this one. But maybe it’s slowly fading. Valentine’s day is a reason to refresh that and Love yourself again. But do you need a reason?
Okay, love, kindness, etc. is an abstract noun. But it’s also energy flowing freely. When you spread it, you already know it’s going to come back to you again. So, this Valentine’s Day pour some love. Don’t tell people you love them, show them. And then keep doing it for the rest of the days.
The world, after all, can use a little kindness.