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The Impact of Spreading Random Kindness
If any of you have ever completed the personality dimensions training for work or just general interest; it likely won’t surprise you that my primary colour is blue. To make a long summary of this dimension short; a blue personality means I value deep feelings, connection to others and authenticity. It also talks about how those who are blue in their personality dimension appreciate others and want to please them; they value authenticity and kindness. I suspect this is why my neighbors kindness earlier this week has touched me so deeply.
Cutting the lawn myself, maintaining gardens or other outdoor tasks have become nearly impossible for me since my diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This is especially true in the intense heat of the summer months! I had hired someone to cut my grass for me, and although it kills me to pay for this service, as a home owner I really didn’t have any other choice. This is one of those added financial burdens of having a chronic illness. Unfortunately, the gentleman who I hired recently let me know that he overbooked himself for landscaping contracts this year, and had to drop the care of my property. Once again, I felt as though I was left to clean up the broken pieces and wasn’t sure what to do.
I came home from work earlier this week to my lawn looking beautiful! My neighbor took it upon himself to take down the snow-fencing at the back of the yard (closing the small gap between the fences of our properties) and cut my lawn. He also tended to the flower beds, front yard and tidied up the excess stones that were left from some construction they were going. This small gesture (to him) meant the world to me! Now I am thinking how I can spread this random act of kindness for someone else. These are the things that mean a lot to me…
How has kindness touched your life since being diagnosed with IPF/PF?
Can you share an example with us?
The world can be terrifying and scary some days so it is important for us to value and spread kindness. I hope you experience the appreciation of someone’s kindness like I did earlier this week; it really lifted my spirits!
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4 Replies
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While I have been very fortunate to have received a single lung transplant (I still have IPF in my left lung) , while I using lots of oxygen I kept attending my art league meetings as long as I could. Another member, Maria, would always insist on carrying my art materials and one of my oxygen tanks (I needed 2 E tanks for the meeting). She continued to do this for as long as I was able to go to the meetings. I didn’t really know her before this.
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Hi @csbarm / Christine,
Thank you so much for sharing this story! I’m not sure what it is with me, but I absolutely love reading stories of random kindness – always have – because it lifts my spirits a bit when dealing with this awful disease or all the negative news stories on TV. Sounds like Maria is a beautiful person, and how nice of her to offer to carry items for you! I always appreciate this as well, especially in the extreme temperatures like excessive cold or high humidity when carrying things makes breathing nearly impossible for me. I truly appreciate your sharing this … it was a great story to read first thing this morning 🙂
Congratulations on your single lung transplant as well! That is wonderful news!
Cheers,
Charlene. -
Hi Charlene
Kindness , I believe random acts of kindness is necessary for the soul ! My wife and I raised our children on ” random acts ) of kindness not only helps others believe that no matter how bad you feel or how bad the world seems there still much good left ! It also is good for your soul especially if you are disabled and can do this makes you feel so good knowing you have just demonstrated just because your disabled you can still make a difference in someone else’s life . You never know that act may lead that person to act randomly and so on and so on.
by the way have missed being in contact with my friend
Chuck
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Hi Chuck,
It is so nice to hear from you my friend!
I completely agree with you re: kindness being good for the soul, and the idea of random acts of kindness is one of my favourite things to see come to fruition for others. Kudos to you and your wife for teaching your kids about this, and the impact they can have on others by spreading kindness. You’re also right about not knowing the impact it can have on someone! Sometimes I’ll randomly go through a drive-thru and offer to pay for the car behind me, and hope that this triggers a chain reaction for others to do the same; spreading kindness on a scale larger than my single action 🙂
Thanks for sharing, I’ve missed catching up with you too. How are things going there? I hope you’re able to navigate this wicked heatwave we’ve been having. Stay safe!
Charlene.
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