A Little is a Lot

I’ve said it before, life is about sharing. I talked about moments, meals, grievances. However, I neglected the small things. Those things that sometimes appear to go unnoticed, but could have a huge impact. We all know this… we’ve had that day where things were just adding up. Nothing overly significant seemed to happened to us, but we felt down and the littlest things were influencing our mood for the worse. Then it was switched immediately, overwhelmingly. By a simple compliment or smile from a stranger or a text from a friend that said they were thinking of us. It’s amazing how powerful something so ‘small’ can truly be.

We’ve been told this before, but we’re human. We make mistakes, we forget. Sometimes we need reminders to share our kindness. We all express it in beautiful, unique ways so let’s do our best to spread it. Let our smiles and laughter shine and be contagious. Let our tears comfort and let people know they are not alone.

I am personally very in tuned to touch. I love hugs, but don’t feel comfortable just hugging anybody. I like to rub the backs of people I care about when they appear to be a bit distraught to let them know that it’s OK and that someone is on their team. I don’t know if this actually ever does anything for them, but I hope they at least encounter momentary relief from their stress, pain, or exhaustion.

A few hours ago I was sitting in church and someone did just that to me when I really needed it, but I had no idea until the time. I was letting my mind wander as I didn’t understand a word of what the priest was saying since I know minimal Spanish. I was getting down on myself. I haven’t felt like I’ve been my best version of myself lately. I feel like I’ve been neglecting my family because I’ve been traveling so much and it’s been difficult to video chat as much as I would like. However, I’m extremely happy in Costa Rica. In the short 6 months I’ve been here I feel like I’ve grown astronomically as a person and in my skill set. I speak and understand more Spanish than I used to, I can stand up on a surfboard, and I can dance basic steps to multiples Latin dances. But that’s the problem… all I have done is take, take, take. I felt like I haven’t given anything back. This, among other things, made me think about the things I need to improve to be a better person and return at least a fraction of what I’ve received.

I’m Catholic so we were giving the sign of peace and for some reason I felt extremely shy today. I think it’s because I was thinking of my family and how I wanted to be there for them more. Naturally, there was a family in front of me and in back of me while I stood by myself in my pew. I shook the hands of the family in front of me and when I turned back to the other family I retreated back to my solitude because they were all embracing and smiling so much. I don’t know why I became so timid so suddenly, I felt as though I was intruding for some reason. I wasn’t, I was just in an extremely strange mood that I set upon myself.

Then the act of kindness struck. The mom from the family behind me gently rubbed my arm and turned me around with a big smile to shake my hand. She was so warming and welcoming and I felt so silly for ever feeling like I was intruding. I felt she could tell I was not feeling great about myself or that something was clearly wrong. I didn’t realize I was showing it until then. I turned back around to face forward when another lady from the pew across from me walked across the aisle to exchange peace with the family behind me and also rubbed my arm. She never looked at me, but her intent to make me feel better was genuine and pure. I have never seen these people in my life, but they clearly could tell I was troubled. Without asking for help, realizing I was putting off such a negative vibe, and without knowing me these people wanted me to feel as though I mattered, that everything will in fact be OK. My eyes embarrassingly started watering as I felt so overwhelmed by their kindness.

They really ‘did nothing’, but the impact of their ‘nothingness’ was so powerful for me. I felt so much better and realized that I was being a bit dramatic and that I need to take more action to fix the things that have been bothering me. I immediately starting thinking of ways to move forward and improve my situation.

Never underestimate what your kindness may lead to. Someone may need that smile, that touch, those simple words of encouragement. I’ve experienced small acts of kindness so many times, but sometimes still forget that my smile actually can make a difference in someone’s day. Let’s make a move to appreciate ourselves more, say ‘thank you’ for the tiniest of gestures, and realize how own our kindness can truly cause change.