Category: kindness

Superpowers: Bloganuary Entry #13

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Writing prompt: What superpower would I love to have?

Let’s face it–superpowers are super cool.  The ability to have some sort of strength or intuition that can get you out of situations before they even happen, or that can keep you safe. Or even better, having some power that can keep the city, town, or planet safe…I mean how cool is that??

The ability to leap buildings, or process an enormous amount of information in microseconds, or fight evil gods and save the world from destruction, all sounds amazing.

If you’re a trekkie like me, the empath superpower of Deanna Troy would be really awesome.  She can read a room and pick up vibes without anyone saying a word.  But I don’t know…some say cancers already have that intuition.  So maybe that would be a redundant power for me to have.

So there are a few to choose from…flying, unfathomable strength, reading a room, data processing skills…there are a few options on the table.

I know this will sound cheesy, but I’d want something that helps the greater good. I’m not sure strength or intuition will fix any of the world’s problems.  I would say the biggest thing that this world needs is kindness, and if there was some way for me to spread kindness and understanding, that would be the superpower I’d much rather have.  This world lacks compassion and lacks caring. 

There are tons of people who love and care and go above and beyond for humanity every single day.  And they are absolutely amazing.

But there are a lot of people who don’t.  And they are the ones who make things difficult.  If I could approach people and sprinkle kindness on them, and give them ability to listen to others and feel love to their fellow man, that would be the superpower I’d love to have.

Now don’t get me wrong. I feel like disagreements and different perspectives are the spice of life.  Hatred, abuse, and lack of caring for others…that’s where the world needs some help in my opinion. And somehow I’d travel the world, showing up in a flash to sprinkle kindness wherever it’s needed.

It’s so cheesy, but seriously…why can’t people just be nice? Right??

Have you ever thought about this? What superpower would you like to have?

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Someone I admire: Bloganuary Entry #5

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This is a really hard prompt because there are truly inspirational and admirable people everywhere. But it’s pretty fair to say that most of the people I admire are women. And even more specifically, they are women in my family. You can close your eyes and pick pretty much any one of them, and you will find someone who has set and amazing example of being a good mother, sister, aunt, matriarch, trailblazer, free thinker, supporter, etc. It is truly hard, no…impossible, to pick only one person to write about. And frfr, I don’t want to poke the hornet’s nest of picking out just one person.

So instead of picking one particular person that I admire, let me tell you five traits that I find are common in the many people I admire.

They choose kindness. Every woman in my family has been through something. And yet they are all the sweetest, kindest people on the whole planet. Yes, I said the whole entire planet!

They stand up for themselves and for others. They all do it in different ways. Ranging from timid and subtle to brazen and spitfire, they have their own approaches, but they speak up. And their approaches are actually quite fascinating. I’ve noticed that there’s a time and a place for each method, and I’ve even used some myself.

Despite obstacles, they persevere. Life is clearly full of challenges. Being able to face those challenges, no matter how big or small, and come out ahead is no easy feat. Watching the women in my life tackle challenges and come out being better and stronger is so powerful and encouraging. They tackle motherhood and marriages and the workforce and entrepreneurship, and of course all of the daily nuances that life can present. Being able to watch them face challenges and persevere gives me so much strength in my own life.

Through actions or through words, they impart wisdom. There is a takeaway from every encounter. Whether it’s a recipe, a history lesson, a mantra about life, a tip for the daily struggle, or a lesson in what not to do, there’s always something to learn.

They love hard. There is never any question about who they love and how much they love them. They express it in their actions and with their words. Often. And without shame.

It may be hard to pick one or even three top people that you admire. But do you notice a commonality among people that make your list? I’d love to hear what you admire about the people you admire!

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A month of writing prompts: Bloganuary Entry #1

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What is a road trip you would love to take?

I’m being a little bit of a Johnny-come-lately these days. I’ve spent the last week recovering from a medical procedure, so I’ve had some hours to kill. And what better way to kill time than by watching cheesy Christmas movies that I didn’t watch before the holiday? I managed to avoid them all holiday season but for the past week, I just can’t seem to get enough.

You know the movies. They all have a very similar formula. An overworked woman in a less-than-satisfying relationship somehow finds herself in a cute little town just in time for Christmas, where she encounters an eligible bachelor or single dad who isn’t looking for love, but can’t resist falling in love with said aforementioned, overworked woman. Or some variation thereof. Mishaps and glances ensue, love is found, and somehow by the end, Christmas spirit is restored everywhere. **cue the jingle bells**

Not that I’m looking for love or that I’m in a bad relationship, but the road trip itself always seems super adorable. The cute little town, the shops, the friendly locals, the mayor that always seems to hang out in the local coffee shop, I love it all. I feel like I’ve always been on a search for the idyllic friendly small town complete with an apothecary, a bakery, and a local inn. The weather always seems perfect, even when it snows. The town folk always seem so kind and there always seems to be the best spot on earth for viewing the stars.

Everyone knows everyone, you can easily bike everywhere…I know places like this rarely exist but idk…the fantasy of it all just makes me so happy. Aside from the one person in the movie who lacks the Christmas spirit, most people are good-hearted and generous. And I think that’s what I truly enjoy so much about these super cheesy road trip Christmas movies. It’s nice to imagine places where the biggest conflict is how they will manage to rescue the old light house. The town’s oldest citizen is best friends with the kid with the paper route. If you forget your wallet, the cashier just puts it on your tab because they know you’re good for it. Kindness, simplicity, and people who care about each other…that’s what I love best about these Christmas road trip movies.

So really, it doesn’t matter where the road trip goes to, it’s more about the general destination…the friendly and quaint town that encourages love and throws an awesome Christmas. This is my cup of tea.

What is your ideal road trip? And do you love cheesy Christmas movies? I gotta know. lol.

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Kindness Matters. Always.

I woke up this morning with a buzz in my ear…and here it is.

Kindness. Matters.

Once more.

Kindness. Matters.

You may have seen on my social media, on my etsy shop and on my blog that I call myself a kindness advocate.  Let me explain a little.  Judging comes very easy to me.  Always has.  Expectations and opinions flow through my veins.  It is only through some serious growth, and a few hard lessons, that I realized that I’m not always right and kindness truly matters. 

Giving the benefit of the doubt matters. 

Understanding that everyone is different matters. 

Realizing that everyone’s circumstances are different, their backgrounds are different, their response mechanisms are different, their support systems are different…and that all of that matters.

It took me well into my 30s before I realized that how I think, how I react, and what I do is not always right.  That was a hard pill to swallow.  Lol.  I realized I’m not always the smartest person in the room and that I’m definitely not always right.  I don’t always have the answers, and there are other ways of doing and thinking that are better than the way I do it.

I realized that you really have to hear where a person comes from and how they got to where they are in life before you can really understand their position, their mentality, and their actions. 

Maybe you would have done things differently if faced with the same set of circumstances, but maybe not.  I had to really examine how many times I’ve made a bad decision, one that others in my exact situation wouldn’t have made, and how I had to learn from the mistake to truly appreciate just how bad of a decision it was.  Most of the time, the decisions were things I could recover from.  But some did change my life in more permanent ways. But should I be judged or should someone be mean to me because I chose a wrong path or because I made a decision they wouldn’t have made? I don’t think so.

But every interaction may not afford you the opportunity for a deep dive into people’s lives so that you can understand exactly how they got to that street corner, or wound up in a financial bind, or whatever.  It may only be seconds of time out of your life that your path crosses with someone.  And that’s when you have to decide.  Would I rather spend these seconds judging, being mean, ignoring, or getting riled up?  Or would I rather realize this is a human being that got here by means of which I do not know, and that this person could use a couple of dollars, a sweater, a drink, a meal, a smile, or at the very least, for someone to not add to the weight on their shoulders by being mean to them?

My choice is compassion.  Or rather, the choice I hope I make each time is compassion.  Kindness.  Generosity.  I’m working each day to train myself to make that choice, and to advocate for people to consider compassion as their choice.  It’s not always easy, and it doesn’t come naturally all the time.  But that’s what I am working towards each day.  Kindness always.  Even when it’s really, really, really hard.

Through my apparel, I try to emphasize positivity and good vibes.  I try to always smile, and I try to see the good in every person I interact with either in person or on social media.  I’m not always successful, trust me.  But it is something I actively strive for each day.

These days we are all coping with unprecedented stress. We are in a situation we may not see again in our lifetime. We are all figuring it out and we are all trying our best. And we all deserve a little kindness.

Do you have a personal attribute that you are working on? What made you realize it was time to work on that particular quality? What do you do to motivate yourself to work on it? Do you have any tips?

justamarylandgirl

7 Acts of Kindness that Cost You Nothing

5 Acts of kindness that cost you nothing

So let’s face it…the world can be a cruel, cruel, horrible place.  There are a lot of self-centered people caught up in their own world that make it difficult for others for no reason.  The guy that aggressively tails you your entire way to work, as you stop at every stop light.  The rude person at work that definitely has a problem with somebody or something, but seems to take it out on you when they reply to your email asking a very simple question.  The jerk that left their shopping cart in the only available parking spot at the grocery store instead of taking the 12 seconds to push it over to the return area.

They all suck for whatever reason, and they manage to put all that suck-tivity right on whoever crosses their path, whether they deserve it or not.  You may not be able to say for certain what caused their rudeness, meanness, or thoughtlessness.  It could just be the way they are, or it could be something that happened that put them on the wrong side of happy.

Truth of the matter is that we’ve all been there.  We’ve all had that bad day or been in that funky mood that seems to trickle over into the interactions we have with other people.  We’ve said that snippy remark to someone that maybe didn’t deserve it.  We’ve sent that abrupt email way too quickly to that colleague that has just been asking for it.

The crazy thing is that all of this could potentially be avoided if someone had given these same people a kind gesture before they had these unfortunate interactions.  You never know when you are crossing paths with someone who really could benefit from someone saying a kind word or putting forth a little effort to be nice.

I’ve put together this quick list of actions you can take that cost you nothing, but could mean a lot to someone having a bad day.  You never know when your small gesture could be the world of difference to someone else.  You also never know the battles that people are fighting every day.  And is it better to be the reason they smile or yet another reason they continue to struggle?

Remember, in a world where you can be anything, be kind.

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justamarylandgirl