Spark Off A Kindness Chain Reaction

I didn't intend to write about kindness and gratitude again, but when coincidences pop up it's best to follow through with what they are indicating.

My wife and I did what we thought of as a kindness for someone. I won't go into details, it's private. I'm only mentioning it as an illustration of how kindness - as with gratitude, smiles, giving and so on - can set off a chain reaction.

A couple of days later we were discussing having our house facia boards, soffits, window frames and gutters (which are all white) cleaned as they were beginning to look a bit grubby. It's quite a job as our house is detached and has high eaves at the side, which are too high for a ladder. So not something I wanted to do myself.

In the meantime one of our sons saw a business van in trouble. It had broken down at the side of the road so he stopped to see if he could help. Being mechanically inclined he actually got their van up and running again. It took him quite a while but he told them he didn't want any money or anything in return. He was just pleased to help.

The two men in the van gave him a card and said if he ever needed anything doing they would be pleased to do him a freebie in return for his help.

He looked at the card and realised they were cleaners, doing all sorts of stuff from car valeting to ... yes, cleaning house facia boards and so on.

So this morning there was an early knock on the door and two men in a van turned up to clean the exterior of our house and all for free - as arranged by our son. As the cliche goes: one good turn deserves another.

Later that day a friend brought us a big box of vegetables she had grown in her garden. Too many for just my wife and I so we passed some on to others - and so the kindness chain reaction continues.

It's so simple to do something for someone else and it's a natural law that what ever we do - good or bad - is returned. When I say this some people - who consider themselves to be a bit spiritually superior - get annoyed and say that we shouldn't give help, money etc. expecting a return.

I actually agree with what they say but the reality is that we will be 're-paid' (the Bible confirms this, if this is your belief) - and in exactly the manner and mind frame in which we gave. Well, that's what I believe anyway.

Try it! Spark off a kindness chain reaction and see where it leads. Oh, and be grateful for what you recieve.

Further Reading:
Gratitude The Sacred Secret And The Law Of Attraction
It's Going To be a Special Day

Kindness Plus Gratitude Equals A Trouble-Free Life

On Monday - see post - I mentioned gratitude, the keeping of a Gratitude Journal and so on. I think most readers to a blog such as this will feel that being grateful is a positive trait which can be beneficial to the individual and perhaps to the larger world as well.

Likewise kindness is also beneficial and, what's more, scientists now agree - well at least some of them do.

There has been a study carried out at the University of Sussex's Mindlab, the research being carried out by psychologist Dr David Lewis.

His findings seem to establish that people who do good deeds, such as helping a neighbour or doing charity work, experience less anger and stress and feel more positive and self confident.

Dr Lewis said, "Being more considerate can reduce stress levels. Effects of stress on the body are well documented: it can suppress the immune system, lead to a rise in blood pressure, increase risk of heart attack and stroke, and contribute to infertility."

The doc's conclusion is: "Therefore to improve our chances of being healthy we should all start doing good to others today."

By coincidence I just read that Harvard University have shown that helping others also makes us mentally tougher and physically stronger. Problem is that they have also shown here that evil deeds improve physical performance as well. Though they did conclude, "Helping others may be the best way of regaining control of your own life."

Personally I feel that kindness works wonders in a positive way. Though we should probably show kindness without the thought of any reward or return I believe that the old adage about what we give we also receive is true.

Even if we don't necessarily believe this there can be no denying that when we do something good for others it makes us feel good and this is, therefore, very uplifting.

I know people who do random acts of kindness and reckon it has improved their lives no end.

I guess the thing about kindness is that it doesn't have to cost money. It can be a smile, a compliment, a helping hand, flowers or fruit from your garden and a myriad of other things.

Once we start showing kindness (and gratitude) it sets off a chain reaction. I mentioned something along these lines in my post Miles Of Smiles And Butterflies.

Whether wanting spiritual enlightenment or simply a happier more trouble-free life I would say that gratitude and kindness are two essentials.

Further Reading:
Gratitude The Sacred Secret And The Law Of Attraction
Seed Money Brings A Tenfold return
A Woman In a Yellow Dress Reminds Me What Happiness Is All About