After the recent article, Become The Light, I began thinking about what it actually means in terms of actions we can each take to become the light that will change the world (that article was sadly prompted by yet ANOTHER evil tragedy [that took place in Las Vegas]). While there are broad, complex issues that cannot be solved by a simple act, they also cannot continue to go unchecked. Since common decency and civility are eroding before our eyes, it is time to believe that we each have to individually do something, and then do it.

If enough people act in small scale ways to effect greater change, then those acts can collectively shift the status from negative to at least neutral, and maybe all the way to a positive state. Wishful thinking, perhaps? But then don't all things begin with a wish and a thought? It is TIME to be KIND.

Let's get to it... As a primer to my top 10 thoughts about kindness, I realized in drafting this article that I have previously written and spoken quite a lot about kindness on Here We Are. Please check out these earlier posts for a more expanded view on this topic:

Planting Kindness ➡️ Tips on how to do this

The Butterfly Effect ➡️ A single act can have a large impact

Kindred Comments: Think Before You Type (Podcast) ➡️ The lack of kindness on the web

Chick Flick Chat: Cinderella (Podcast) ➡️ A story about the importance of kindness

Be The Person You Want To Be, #19, Live Your Life Out Loud Series ➡️ Kindness to oneself & other tips on how to live fully on your own terms and be good to yourself while doing it

Below is the list in no particular order of importance. Any and all of them can be applied to anyone you encounter: friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers alike (and don't forget about the animals - the birds and the bees can always use extra seeds and flowers). And if you are wondering what defines an act of kindness, it is too varied, vast, and intangible to describe BUT you will know it when you are doing it, and you will feel it when it is bestowed on you.

10 Thoughts On Kindness

1. Being kind is FREE
2. Being kind is EASY
3. Being kind doesn't mean you are weak
4. When you are kind, you feel the good energy you put out
5. People remember your kindness, thereby remembering you
6. A simple act of kindness can defuse a bad situation or mood
7. When you proceed with kindness, it is returned to you in ways you can't imagine, especially when you need it most
8. An easy, free act of kindness by you can have an important, significant effect on someone's day or life
9. Kindness breeds kindness
10. You don't have to go out of your way, opportunities to be kind show up IF you are open to them and willing to act

So there you have it, I hope that these better, brighter, easier ideas and thoughts about kindness will prompt you to act in a way that begins to change today's societal woes.

In the words of Aesop, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

~ Luci