Ever have one of those days? One of those weeks? Well, I was having one of those months in December. As I desperately clung to hope that it couldn’t get any worse….well… it did. Lucky for me I was raised with grounded logic, and a mind for solution, so I will persevere. I powered on, one stressful event after another….until I caught strep throat. Wounded and defeated I laid in bed, miserable, drowning in Kleenex, vicks vapor rub and halls cough drops. I was certain that death was inevitable, R.I.P. to me.
Ok, so maybe that’s a bit dramatic ( I am a designer after all, drama is what I do) but when I can’t eat, nor have interest in food…uh,…Houston we have a problem. But my luck was changing. Two days after my death sentence I mustered up the energy to go into the office. To my surprise I had a message on our company phones from a dear client:
“Amanda, I hope you had a wonderful holiday. I wanted to tell you how much I love my console and I cannot thank-you enough for encouraging Gary to buy it for Christmas. You are an expert in your profession and your talent is ubitquitous with your kindness. We adore everything that you have done to our home. You constantly push us out of our comfort zone with dumbfounding results that far exceed our expectations…thank-you!” Carol Paige
In an instant, this single act of kindness from Carol changed my attitude completely. She took time out of her day to lend a compliment to me, and thank-me. Already I felt better and death didn’t seem so bad. What’s interesting to me is how much our human nature thrives on negativity and complaining. One complaint after another, looking only to the worst possible scenario we dig ourselves into a deeper hole. That just sounds miserable!
Today I picked up a Better Homes and Gardens from last year and found a note on this very subject. Researchers found that benelovent behavior spreads like a virus and creates a domino effect of kindness. According to the study they found that one person’s kindness spread to three people, then those three turned to nine, and continued to spread throughout the day. I could not believe how accurate it was. Elated from Carol’s comment I went thru the starbucks drive thru that particular day and I made it a point to buy coffee for the car behind me. What do you want to bet that the person in the car later did an act of kindness? Let this be a wake up call to all of us. Kindness should be second nature, and each and everyone one of us is fighting our own battles, so wouldn’t it be nice if YOU were the one to change that vicious cycle for someone else?
Operation Nice
Thanks to Cinda Baxter of the 350 project, I found one of my favorite blogs, Operation Nice by Melissa Ivone, last year. Melissa’s blog is based entirely on kindness, and how to make life a little easier for those around us. I myself am only at a freshman level compared to Melissa’s expertise, but because of her blog others have followed in her footsteps, doing small acts of kindness in hopes to make a difference in someone elses day. How nice!
What are you going to do today to make the lives of those around you a little easier?
Great and thoughtful post, Amanda!
Hope you are feeling much better.
Have a nice day.
Teresa
xoxo
Thank you for a great post Amanda! it is so true – I used to get strep, so I feel that pain sista!! its awful but good for you that you turned it around because of the compliment of your client. It is a great idea and I think I will do something nice right now! Hope you are feeling better now!! xoxo
So very true and what a splendid idea…I am checking Melissa out.
Luckily, now Dr Harley should be able to take care of you too.
xoxo
i loved this post, amanda! so sorry to hear you weren’t feeling well, but so glad you’re better!
what a kind note from your client (you should frame it!), and you’re right–kindness does spread! i was going through the toll a few weeks ago and this guy was stuck because he had a $100 bill and only one quarter in the $.50 lane. there were piles of cars behind him, and no one offered to give him anything! i drove up along side him and gave him $1 (all i had), and it felt GOOD. thanks for sharing the link–i’m going to check it out now!
Wow, glad you are feeling better! What a month you’ve had 🙁 Kind words have a way of arriving at just the right time. I always try to take time to leave a kind note or e-mail for someone in the day to day dealings of life. You never know when they really are needing that little touch of kindness.
I was just listening to NPR yesterday, from a station up in Albany,NY (!) where they interviewed an author who had written a book about writing ‘thank you’ notes. I can’t remember his name! Something about “352 days of note writing’. Anyway, he started writing (yes, snail mail) notes to all sorts of people for any kindness or thoughtfulness. He was amazed! It started a reciprocal note writng frenzy! Now he just loves to take pen to paper, for anything,a kind word, a taxi driver who went out of his way, a salesperson etc. etc. You know, combined with what I heard this morning on “Morning Joe” show, that maybe we, as Americans, have come to realize we need to be kinder and gentler….well, this could all bode well for us as individuals, and as a country!
Amanda
Thank you so much for sharing this site. I liked it so much I blogged about it myself (scheduled for 01-20). We could all use a reminder now and then to be kinder and gentler.
I, like you, have been down with some sort of crud for ten days or so but, thankfully, it did not work into strep throat. I hope you are feeling much better. BTW..still not sure why my link does not work for you but thanks for keeping me posted on the problem.
diane
Thank-you! to all for all your KIND thoughts. Remember to be KIND today and go out of your way to make someone around you feel better!!
The power of positive thinking and the power of one 🙂 You summed it up so well!! I hope you’re well XO, Kelly