Just when I thought compassion would never be the new cool, I went to tai chi class.As I was waiting for class to start, a classmate whose tea cup I had admired last week gave me a matching tea cup to use! We always have green tea and cookies at tai chi, but there were only styrofoam cups to use. Everyone would write their name on their cup to re-use during breaks and after class, but eventually the foam cup would be thrown in the garbage. I hadn't brought a tea-cup from home, because (I told myself) Chinese tea cups are small and I only have big tea cups. But this lady had brought a perfectly sized tea cup with a handle and I had said so to her just last week. So now I have been gifted with my own tai chi tea cup, and no longer have to use a styrofoam cup.
Then, in the middle of the class one of the instructors came up to me and asked if I had lost some winter boots, which I had. She said she knew where they were, and she went and got them for me! Someone in the school where we have tai chi sometimes had found them after our last class there about a month ago, and set them aside for the next time we had a class there. So now I don't have to worry about getting another set of boots!
I had had a discouraging day up until then, but these kindnesses really turned things around.
When I am discouraged
I vow with all Beings
to be grateful for kindness that abounds
just when it is needed
Picture courtesy this flickr website
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6 comments:
Goodness and Kindness are out there - sometimes they hide and sometimes they lavish themselves upon us. It's lavish time!
In truth, moments of kindness are all we need to keep going. It is also true that goodness seems to show up when we seem to hit the bottom of frustration with the lack it. Here is to climbing back up.
Artby - it also helps if I remember to look for them!
Cindy - these kindnesses did show up just at the right time, and it's a amazing the difference just a small kind gesture can make. :)
so glad that you received random acts of kindness on an especially difficult day. you are full of compassion and kindness, so am glad that someone else was able to return it to you when it was most needed. kindness does exist in the world--we see it all the time. just sometimes we're bombarded by all the negative things that it makes it hard....
theresa, thanks for commenting at Four Mugs re your use of a cistern. i left comment there too.
last year, at Green as a Thistle, I read about folkswho used buckets to save water from their shower and used it to shave their legs. an interesting discussion in the comment section began. hazel nut joined in too.
you're not alone out there.
gah from four mugs and http://www.itstrikesmefunny.blogspot.com/
theresa, i forgot to mention, small acts of kindness are not small at all are they.
gah
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