Last week I was waxing lyrical about the arrival of spring, whilst enjoying glorious sunshine and colourful new life. An hour or so after writing that post, it was grey and raining again…..ho hum.
But the lightening days and burgeoning growth in gardens and parks continues apace, marvelously unstoppable no matter how grey the skies.
New life and the promise of better weather tend to put a spring in our step and encourage us to raise our eyes from the head-down-dark-wet-cold gloom of winter.
New life, lighter days, new growth – all are harbingers of hope.
Of course I am fully aware as I write this of the uncertainties and unknowns of coronavirus. I was hoping not to even mention it, but it is a dominant conversation topic and to not mention it whilst still talking about noticing other people seems naive at best, bonkers at worst. I used to be a physio…hand-washing has always been basic good practice and I find myself agreeing loudly with all the sensible NHS advice on hand-washing – and not just for this epidemic but as a general principle. Maybe this post should be about taking up effective hand washing for Lent….I digress.
But worrying about what MIGHT be should not stop us from being WHO WE ARE. And as we reflectively meander through Lent considering what we can START rather than give up, this is the perfect season to go out of our way to intentionally
…be kind.
The random acts of kindness is not only a well known phrase, but a well recognised movement. Kindness 
has been much talked about of late, sometimes on the back of tragic circumstances.
This image has become a very familiar one on social media, and if we each choose to live like this daily, the world would be a very different place.
But Lent is a great opportunity to make small daily changes and be more intentional about being kind.
And for me, to be kind starts with noticing.
How aware am I of what is going on around me?
Am I head-down, blustering through my day and my to-do list….focused, single minded, busy, distracted? There is nothing wrong with seeking to be productive and we have busy and full days. But for me, this again – and as usual – comes down to a choice. Because I can choose to stay in my own world and focused on the task at hand and the what’s-nexts. Or I can choose to stop regularly and take a breath and become aware of all that is going on around me.
To notice what is going on around me, and more, WHO is around me and how I am connecting with them. When we stop and slow down and notice, we start to really SEE people. To see who they are without stereotypes, to notice their body language, to identify more with who they are and what they are doing. And then the fun can start, because we can then more easily identify how to be kind. Small things can make a big difference.
There are some brilliant ideas on the Random Acts of Kindness website:
- compliment someone on their great parking (I would LOVE someone to say this to me, I do take pride in a nice bit of parallel parking)
- praise a local business on line
- reply to a social media post with a positive and affirming comment
- write someone a letter, on actual paper with an actual pen, envelope and stamp
- have a judgement free day
I like the idea of intentionally smiling at people and saying hello. Find something to compliment a stranger on. Take time to text a friend with something specific you appreciate about them. Pick up all the litter you pass on the way home. Plant some wild flowers in a patch of derelict earth. Make time to pop round to see a neighbour and take them something homemade. Make your elder nearest-and-dearest a cup of fresh coffee to take to school (new to the list this one!).
If this all sounds a bit kitsch and cutesy, well so be it. But how many of those things would you like to be on the receiving end of?
If someone was to be kind to you, what would be your list of ways they could express that kindness?
If you know someone’s love language, be kind to them in their specific language, and see their love tank fill up.
Simple things again – simple choices each day to be kind intentionally and specifically. What a great way to spend Lent.
[…] Last week I was talking about taking up the practice of doing random acts of kindness for Lent. Lent is traditionally a time when we give something up. But this year, I have been musing on using the season as a prompt to start something new (more here), that might then become habit forming. This can be as reflective a practice as you like, given that the springboard is Lent – known within the Christian calendar as a time of fasting and preparation. […]