The Rewards of of Kindness & Generosity

by Minnie Payne

A child brings their mother a freshly-picked bunch of wildflowers – she beams.

Little is more rewarding than an unexpected act of kindness or generosity. Why? Because the recipient is made to feel special and worthwhile. And, generally, as the saying goes, “Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects.” – Dalai Lama Unfortunately, though, according to 5 Interim, Inc. Make Kindness the Norm, “When a moment of kindness appears, it’s as if a fog has been lifted – just for a moment. It’s lovely. It makes us feel good. We smile. But, then the fog rolls back in and we go back to ‘the norm’ of our daily lives. We don’t put in the effort to truly appreciate and reflect on those moments.” Call it human nature but with today’s fast pace and high cost of living, most will agree that “the norm” is easy to revert to. How do we overcome this problem? A good way to start is by taking time to make it a daily habit to read about acts of kindness and generosity. We are what we feed our minds and great people like the late Barbara Bush have proven this. At a commencement at Wellesley College in 1990, she affirmed her lifelong belief in the importance of family. “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal,” she said. “You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” How many people, because of busy lives or an insignificant family argument can confess to this? Reachingself elaborates on 20 Benefits of Contribution, Kindness, and Generosity, one of which is that contribution and kindness solve problems and conflicts. A great many people can attest to this and for those who cannot attest to it, there is no time like the present to prove it – it works. A little kindness can go a long way and if nothing is solved, you didn’t make matters worse. We remember leaders of the United States who exhibited and stressed kindness. Again, we refer to the George H. W. Bush White House era. Bush brought to the White House a dedication to traditional American values and a determination to direct them toward making the United States “a kinder and gentler nation” in the face of a dramatically changing world. He was known for foreign policy and his final years of the Cold War that played a key role in the reunification of Germany. Whether we agree that all his policies and actions were good, I hope we can agree that I was basically a good person and a kind person. He was also known for his handwritten thank-you notes and the bridges that they built, one such note being to a Marine who dropped his rifle in a parade at the Marine Barracks, in front of his commander in chief and first lady Barbara Bush. He wrote: “I want to thank you and the others in the platoon for a super performance…Please thank all involved in the drill.”

And let us end on this note – “Please thank all who show kindness and generosity. Let your ripples flow beyond measure.”

Minnie Payne is part of the staff here at Natural Awakenings Houston both in writing and in sales.

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