Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Observations on Kindness and Christmas Shopping

I went Christmas shopping today, because I am both a procrastinator and someone who hates to shop on the weekends when everyone else is if I can avoid it.  And as much as I dreaded it, it really wasn't that bad.  The trauma of last week seems to have made us a little nicer to one another. I didn't have or see one unpleasant interaction, and let's be honest, people tend not to be their best selves in the Christmas crowds.  Normal, mild mannered people will shank you for a bicycle or a 50%-off sweater.  But not today.  Today, people smiled and said hello to one other, even if they were strangers.  Shoppers were an extra measure of patient, sales associates a little more helpful. Everyone seemed to be taking care of everyone else. At least, that's how it felt.  Maybe I was just paying more attention.  But I hope people really were different.

I don't know if any of you follow Ann Curry on Twitter or have heard this somewhere else, but she (much like my dear internet friend, Joyce) asked people to commit random acts of kindness and it's really catching on.  It's been restoring my faith in humanity one tweet at time.  Seriously, search #20Acts or #26Acts on Twitter and read for yourself.  It's beautiful.

The only question I have is why do we have to wait for something so terrible to happen to remind us to be amazing.  If you are Christian, part of our call is to show Christ's love to others, and I know I fall short of that all of the time.  What if we committed 26 acts and followed it with 26 more over and over and over?  Evil will never truly overpower good.  I hope that we can all find ways to remind the world of that, now and always.

3 comments:

  1. You're right, we're supposed to be like a shining light in the night, let's hope we can shine a little brighter. :)

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  2. It does seem that we Christians should automatically be kind to one another and do nice little acts of kindness all the time. I guess sometimes the hard knocks that come with living get in the way. When a tragedy occurs it is a wake-up call for us to realize how important each day - and each person you encounter - can become. I hope we can continue this feeling of kindness to one another into the new year. Merry Christmas Katie!

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  3. I've had a lot of fun this month and have enjoyed changing my thinking...hoping to keep it going in 2013. The thing about kindness is you are repaid ten fold.

    Merry Christmas!

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