Kindness is free, sprinkle liberally

My post ‘Birthday wish list: the gift of joy‘ talks about ushering in a new decade (which I did—complete with princess party and sparkles) in the form of engaging in 50 acts of kindness. A dear friend suggested I spread these acts out throughout the entire year, rather than attempt to stuff them into an already packed birthday month. And then to personalize them along the way. What a gift of joy this journey unfolds on a daily basis. I’ve encountered kindness begets kindness: a returned smile, a thank you, a hug, a gentler response. And then I want to do it all over again. But not for the recognition. I think serving others might just be a little self-serving because this is where I get my happy on. And although it’s a little corner of my world, I can sprinkle liberally. My hope is that kindness becomes contagious and scatters outward to make a bigger impact.

How do you sprinkle kindness in your sphere of influence?

Image courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

 

The last laugh

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers.
And once you find laughter, no matter how painful
your situation might be, you can survive it.
~ Bill Cosby

Nearly a decade ago, our family experienced one of the worst blows we could ever imagine.  I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for laughter, it would have been a lot tougher for us to get to this side of the trauma.  Lately, the work and home fronts have been filled with their share of ups and downs.  Probably more of the latter than the former.  I’ve prayed a lot, performed a lot of Yoga and eaten a lot of comfort food.  And I’ve laughed.  A lot.  Laughter, for me, is the quickest way to diffuse a tense situation, mend a bruised ego or soften an ill-timed word.  Laughter is also one of those things that is contagious.  Thankfully, there’s no cure for it, either.

Do you laugh your way through the hard times?