Sometimes, you just can’t pay back an act of kindness. For example, a stranger pays you a compliment and then gets off the elevator, someone anonymously donates to your cause, or a passerby sets you in the right direction, and then disappears. What do you do when that happens? Some of you move on and consider yourself lucky that day, while others feel a tremendous obligation to pay the kindness forward almost as a way to acknowledge that there is a greater force at play here.
Those of you that are more spiritual and mindful know exactly what I am talking about when I say that upon receipt of an act of kindness there is not just joy, but an immense sense of responsibility to pay it forward. Some of us have consciously made this part of our daily life, and in doing so have come to understand that the best gifts in life actually are not tangible. You cannot see them, but rather you can feel them deeply: love, happiness and inner peace.
To truly appreciate the gifts that life has to offer, however, you have to step out of the rat-race mentality, and you cannot try to just isolate yourself in a little island. You have to get out there and connect with others– and I mean really get out there and see other parts of the world. Test your comfort zone, put yourself at the mercy of others, experience a little humility and let the universe provide you with the right answers.
Recently, I stumbled upon the Kindness Diaries, which is a documentary series on Netflix. This guy, Leon Logothetis, actually travels around the world relying on the kindness of strangers– to feed him, provide lodging and even pay for his gas! It is an unbelievable story, and one that brought tears to my eyes, as it reminded me of the beauty we can encounter in this world.
Not all of us have the luxury of taking such an extended vacation, but as much as you can, whenever you can, considering testing new boundaries in your journeys, and in the meantime, just do a social experiment at home by trying to commit one small act of kindness a day.
Positive energy is all around us, you just need to tap into it.
By Regina A. DeMeo
