Here we go!

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
―  Dalai Lama XIV

Last Saturday -- the first day of the children's summer vacation, my family embarked on a summer project -- 72 Days of Kindness.  Inspired by another mom's family project that focuses on niceness, I decided that at least one member of our family would perform an act of kindness every day during the summer.  I liked the notion of kindness because I tell my children that our family motto is "loving-kindness" (which is, of course, completely aspirational).  We had a family meeting and everyone went along with the idea, although one of my children wondered if 72 days was too long and couldn't we do fewer days.  I wasn't sure whether we would find enough "kind" things to do.

Because I am big on reflection and writing, we also began a journal about our kindness journey.  I have each of us answer four questions:

What did I/we do to be kind?
How did it help the other person?
How might it have made that person feel?
How does it make me feel?

I figured, why not encourage kindness and empathy?!

Just a week into it, the project has turned out to be a fascinating journey.  When you begin a journey, you have an idea of where you are headed... maybe, but you are always surprised along the way.  And so it is with this journey.

First, I can't believe that I wondered if we would find enough things to do.  There are so many that we could do every day.  The opportunities to be kind abound and they present themselves as the day unfolds.

I have been amazed by how much kinder we are all trying to be -- to others and to each other.  I also have noticed that frequently we have the "option" of being kind, and because we have embarked on this project, we are making kindness our choice.

Another thing that has been amazing is that it seems the more open we are to being kind, the more kindness we seem to receive.  I am not sure how that works, but it does!

Favorite acts of kindness?  I love putting coins in expired or nearly expired meters.  An anonymous act, but great fun.  And one day this week when I was thinking how easy it was to be kind if you could spend money, I ran into some items at the school's lost and found that were easy to return.

My son says his favorite act of kindness is hugging his mom...

And the one that makes the most difference?  For me, it has been the kindness that comes from being present to someone else, from truly listening to another person with as little of "my stuff" in the way as possible.

So please join me on this journey.  I would love to learn about your experiences along the way.