Appreciating and Practicing Kindness
Kindness is one of the greatest virtues a friend can have. Kindnesses comes in an unlimited variety of forms. By practicing kindness it becomes a habit. It can be shown in a smile, a touch, a nod, or through sharing. Acts of kindness are shown without an expectation of reward. Even the smallest acts of kindnesses can take us out of a bad moment in our lives. Even a fleeting moment of kindness can uplift us for the rest of our day or last much longer.
I read an inspiring article a while ago called, ‘Small Kindnesses’: A Collaborative Poem by Teenagers from Around the World. This article explained how The Learning Network had asked teenagers from around the world to submit kindnesses they experienced from other people in their lives. The staff read all the submissions and picked out their favorite lines. These were then sent to the poet Danusha Laméris, so that she could create a collaborative poem from this list of kindnesses.
I’ve included some of the small kindnesses listed below. You can read the whole poem in the highlighted link above.
Kindness is neighbors saying, “Buenos Dias.”
Letting someone have the last cookie and then they insist on splitting it in half.
Kindness feels like a freshly blooming flower in a field of lonely grass.
Opening up a letter from your friend instead of texting.
You Can Learn to Practice Kindness Too!
Just like the teenagers in the collaborative poem, you too can begin practicing kindness by observing it around you. Keep a notebook and write down the kindnesses that you witness each day.
When you see kindness around you and have your own ideas of what it is, you too can practice kindness in your interactions with friends, classmates, and even strangers. The more you do this, the more it will become a habit and part of who you are.
After a while, you will notice changes in your attitude and perspective that will help you in the future. Be patient with this. Remember to practice kindness with yourself too.