Small Acts of Kindness to Surroundings and Self

Yesterday I found something I had ripped out of a magazine and I read it to see why I had kept it.  It was a little essay written by Elizabeth Graves, the editor of Martha Stewart Living, about a hard time in her life.  She was 16 and her Dad had passed away.  Things that had seemed important before suddenly felt frivolous.  She talked about the things that comforted her, and brought joy and laughter into her life again.  Her conclusion was this:  "...small acts of kindness to yourself and your surroundings can have a big impact on your happiness, and it doesn't matter where you're starting from:  The direction is always up."

I guess I hadn't thought of the idea that some of the things we do are "kindness to our surroundings".  I suppose weeding the garden is kindness to the garden plants, and picking up clutter could be considered a kindness to the things we have deliberately used to decorate, because they can be noticed again.  Planting cheerful flowers can be a kindness to those who live around us who now have something cheerful to look at as they go by, and restoring something that is worn can kindly make it useful again.

And what about "acts of kindness to yourself"?  Is it really okay to be kind to ourselves?  Yes!  It is an act of kindness to ourselves when we take the time to eat well.  It is kindness when we rest when we are worn out.  It is kind when we allow ourselves to develop our talents, and when we take time to create things of beauty that we enjoy.  It is kindness to ourselves when we realize that the mistake we just made doesn't make us worthless, and when we allow ourselves to move on, and try again.  It is kindness when we speak to ourselves as sweetly as we would to those we love.  Acts of kindness to ourselves give us a greater ability to give acts of kindness to others.

Acts of kindness to our surroundings and ourselves truly can have a big impact on our happiness, and on the happiness of those around us.
***Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash