It taks effort!

Today I attempted a kind act which didn't pan out exactly as planned. I was walking into school and noticed a woman struggling to get her stuff out of the car. It turns out that the effort it takes to be consistently kind is more difficult than I thought. I say this because I looked at her and was going to walk right by. As I passed I paused and decided to go back and ask her if she needed help. Although she declined, we talked as we walked in.

So today I made a connection with someone that I would normally never encountered. Even though it was just surface talk, you never know what effect it could have had on her. She had mentioned her day had started off wrong, so maybe my kind act changed the direction of her thinking. Who knows if this encounter had any effect on her day, but its still worth a shot to try and help.

I also heard a nice story about a random kind act today. Some friends went on a trip and took a plane flight to their destination. When they got on the plane they were pretty sure they wouldn't be sitting together. When they went to sit, a man noticed that they were together and without being asked gave up his seat so they could sit together. Something as simple as this can make a big difference. This kind act had a ripple effect, not only did it resonate with the friends, it touched me as well. This is proof that the little things really can have a profound effect.

Can war be a kind act?

Today I went to war with a mouse army. I had tried the humane route already with some success, but not enough. I let the first couple mice go in the park, but the current traps are not doing the trick. The problem still exists and unfortunately needs to be dealt with in a more extreme manner. So I guess this is a case of doing a kind act in an unkind manner. It is for the safety of the people in the house that I have to pull out the big guns. You know what they say "never bring a knife to a gun fight." I went to Lowes today and bought 12 snap traps. I have been told that of all the lethal traps they are the most humane. I set them up all over the apartment complex and will check them later in the week. The non-lethal traps are still out so we are still taking POW's.

Some Inspiration

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.-Dalai Lama

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.-Dalai Lama

Do I know that guy?

Nope, he didn't know me from a hole in the wall. Today while getting my coffee at Dunkin Donuts, I decided to buy the order for whoever ended up behind me at the drive-thru. A funny thing happened while I was in line. I was getting some sort of adrenaline rush while waiting to pay. Maybe It was the excitement of his possible reaction or the awkwardness I was feeling. I kept thinking about him racking his brain trying to figure out where he knows me from "nowhere." After paying I purposely drove away as to not allow him a chance to confront me. I wanted it to be a completely random Kind Act. I think its good that I have started with small Kind Acts because it will allow me to get past the initial feeling of awkwardness that I have.

Intent

While looking over my posts so far, I realized that this blog could be seen as though I'm bragging. I'm not intending to boast about how great my life is or the things I do. This is my attempt to be a better person and explain how I'm going about it. If this is helpful to anyone else than that would be great but I'm not trying to impose anything on anyone. Just had to get that out.

Kind Acts or Bust

I thought today was going to be a bust. I was going to write about my general attempts to be a better all around person if nothing notable happened and then a few things did. First I was made a delicious Thai salad for a late lunch and given extra for dinner. If that wasn't good enough, when paying for a drink and snack at a convenient store I frequent, I didn't have enough to pay and was going to use my card but the cashier told me not to worry about the 30 cents I needed. If it were a penny I may not have blinked but 30 cents was surprising and appreciated.

The World On Time

Today I was talking with a friend and she mentioned a "friend" who lives in New Mexico that she wanted to go visit. While we were talking she casually mentioned that it was his birthday on Saturday and wished she could send him a card, but didn't have time. Being that I work at FedEx, it was the perfect opportunity for a kind act. I told her to go get a card, write down the address and I would take care of the rest. I sent out the card tonight and it will be there tomorrow afternoon.
Cory

Critique Me

I am going to start this blog with a kind act by Kerri Augustine. Kerri came to my Graphic Design 6 class at UMass Dartmouth to give a visiting critique of our senior degree projects. She did so with no payment just out of the kindness in her heart. Her input was vital to the direction that I am now going in. Prior to her visit I had been looking at trying to make people feel better through self-reflection and affirmation. With her help I was able to realize that all I wanted to do was incite some sort of emotional uplift in people through acts of kindness. I have always really liked the idea of Pay It Forward, but felt that it was to encumbering. In my opinion it doesn’t necessarily take a large or over the top act to make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes small acts of kindness can make a profound impact on people.