Invisible to the eye, soothing to the heart. Acts of kindness don’t need to be seen to be appreciated.
You witness acts of kindness everyday whether you realize it or not. They may be little and hard to notice, such someone holding the door open for an elderly person, someone saying hello when they pass by a stranger or smiling to another person for no reason. These acts are small gestures that can change a bad day into a great day. The way to spread some kindness and joy easy, but what about those silent acts that go unnoticed?
We call these ‘unnoticed’ acts . . . ninja-style acts of Kindness. Ninja’s are sneaky, the are masters of their craft, observant and determined. True Kindness Ninja’s carry out acts of Kindness without seeking recognition. Recently, we received an email from one of the teachers at Northwood Middle School in Spokane, WA that represents a great example of an invisible act.
“My husband and I arrived home late one afternoon to find 9 bags of raked leaves left curbside. The family across the street had raked as a family project. Two of their kids go here, where I am employed. A couple of days later after the winds whipped the rest of the leaves off, another neighbor girl came by anonymously and raked them all up again, which now finally left me with only 4 total for myself. My husband is disabled and I have a shoulder injury I’ve been babying, so this was very special to us and we are very thankful. KINDNESS COUNTS. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO TO ENCOURAGE GIVING/KINDNESS FROM THE HEART WITHOUT EXPECTING ANYTHING BACK.”
It is easy to get caught up in your own life and feel like you don’t have time to help yourself, let alone others, but it is imperative that we make time to shed kindness around our world. Did you know that a single act of Kindness can spread quicker than a virus? (read the study here) When you carry-out a single act of Kindness there are three people who are directly impacted: The person who is performing the act, the one that receives it, and last but most important, anyone who witness the kind act. This is why kindness is contagious.
So go out. . . SPREAD SOME KINDNESS. Make people smile.
Here are some simple KINDNESS IDEAS to get you started:
- Leave a coupon behind their intended products at the grocery store
- Pay someone’s parking meter
- Shovel snow or leaves for a neighbor
- Return your shopping cart (bring some extra with you)
- Leave a nice note at the park for someone to find
- Bring your neighbors trash cans to their door
- Leave spare change in the vending machine