An act of kindness goes a long way

World Kindness Week starts on Monday, November 9. Our world is full of negativity: dangerous viruses, looters, and conflict, so it may seem hard to be kind to one another.

Kindness is described as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate, so there are many ways to demonstrate kindness if you are willing to look. Offering to helping others, whether it is taking care of siblings, taking in the groceries, or picking up trash from the street really goes a long way.

Being kind pays in many ways. It helps to change lives, or even save lives.  When you are kind to someone or you do an act of kindness, it will leave a lasting impression.

There are many things that you can do during World Kindness Week. Are you willing to do your part? You could:

• Write notes of kindness and stick them in random library books.
• Hand out notes of encouragement wherever you go
• Offer to do some else’s errands: Walk their dog(s), or help them with groceries.
• Cook dinner for a friend and bring it to their home.
• Give notes of appreciation to family, friends, or even and service providers.
• Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant or drive-thru
• Encourage other people to be kind.

While spending a whole week being kind may seem a little intimidating, there is World Kindness Day on November 13, to make things a little more focused. World Kindness Day was first celebrated in 1998, thanks to the World Kindness Movement (National Day Calendar).

Over 28 nations were involved in creating World Kindness Day, which eventually evolved into a whole week of kindness,

According to the University of Oxford, researchers conclude that being kind to others causes a small but significant improvement in subjective well-being.  An act of kindness for a person who is having a bad day, for instance, will leave a big impact.

World Kindness Day is celebrated to highlight the good deeds in the community and the power of positivity and the common thread of kindness in all of us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human condition which bridges the division of races, religions, politics, genders and zip codes