To be or not?
“Try to be a rainbow in in someone’s cloud.” Maya Angelo
Were you today?
A rainbow in someone’s cloud? Or weren’t you? The rainbow? A magic word. KIND.
A measurement that I check myself on every day. Of course, I have my days where I am less successful but then I aim to try a little harder. TO BE OR NOT? That is the question. The answer? To be kind or not? KIND. My firm conviction is that if all of us lived KINDNESS every day, our world would be a far, far better place to live in and prevent the seven deadly sins:
PRIDE, GREED, LUST, ENVY, GLUTTONY, WRATH AND SLOTH.
One June morning many years ago. I was strolling along a New York city shopping street, people watching. As usual, people, traffic were hasting, pushing, rushing, rushing to their destinations. Tangible, almost brutal frenzy. Laser like focus on me, me, myself, myself and I, Of course I judged to soon. I was generalising as I did not know the potential emotional pain each driver and its passengers felt. This set the scene for two acts of kindness, from her to me, and me to her…
I stopped at shop window. Close by, a bottle and bag old lady was sitting on the pavement. All in grey; grey hair, grey clothing, grey bags. A poignant picture of a life downtrodden, sad, hopeless, despair. Dreams all gone it seemed to me. No. Wrong I was. She put her hand into one of her bags. I thought she was maybe searching for a morsel of food. Wrong!
She taught me to uphold my dignity. In her weakness she revealed her inner strength!
She pulled out a post box red lipstick and applied it to her lips. Confident, with perfect precision. Maybe she was remembering and wondering about the good time she had experienced in her life? All beautifully dressed up for a ball. A Cinderella!
Maybe she was ready to descend into her waiting coach, the latter which would lead her to her prince, the one who would make her dreams come true. How he eventually found her glass slipper she had lost at the ball. He searched for her relentlessly until he found her, in her cinders. The slipper neatly fitted her foot. Her soon to be his princess to live the everlasting fairytale as the tale for little children goes…
My lady had taught me a priceless lesson. Without knowing, she gave me a precious gift. A gift that I would always treasure and share with others. A treasure always and always. Her lesson was to never, never, never give up, never mind the tribulations I am faced with. She taught me to uphold my dignity. In her weakness she revealed her inner strength!
I wanted to immediately return an act of kindness to her. She had added value to my life, immensely, and that without even realising it… I walked to her, bent down; I asked her to stay put and wait for me and assured her it would be soon. She consented. Well, I saw a hamburger hut where I bought her two with chips. So little!
Then a red, red lipstick, a comb and a blanket. The US winters are harsh. I retuned and, knelt, down beside her and gave her my purchases and the few dollars I had in my purse. She looked up and gave me a warm, warm smile. And then I continued my journey of people watching… I was filled with hope and determined to be KIND and KINDER to other as best I can.
Are you familiar with the butterfly effect? If perhaps you don’t, it says:
“The delicate quiver of one butterfly can cause a tornado in Canada.”
Dr.Sonia