The Final Post

I am sorry to say that I am officially shutting down this blog. I will still view other blogs, but I feel I am not meant to be a blogger myself. So this is it. The final post. Good bye, for this blog is out of service.

The First Step

A great man once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This is so very true in the sense that it is hard to start something new, yet once you begin, it becomes easier and more comfortable as you go on. Taking the first step in kindness may be difficult to sucumb by, but once you start, it becomes the most wonderful habit. Below are some examples of small things you can do for others: 

• hold the door for someone, whether they need help or not
• give random compliments to 5 people you see
• make conversation with someone who might be feeling lonely
• become a friend to someone who needs one
• surprise someone you know with a small gift
• do something helpful around the house (an extra chore)
• help a peer with something they are having trouble with (i.e. homework, schoolwork, obtaining something)
• be nice to everyone you encounter

These are just a few examples, but there are millions of possibilities swirling everywhere around you. Take the first step today, and the journey will be worth it and full of no regrets.

Afterlife of Apples

Today as I was roaming about the kitchen, I stopped in front of the refrigerator and began rummaging through the fruit drawer. Now, you must know that I get attached to things really easily and I care about everything. Moving along, I looked through trying to find something to eat, when a mark on an apple separated itself from the rest. An outcast among the crowd, if you will. I began to relate in ways to the apple and felt sorry that its bruises wearing dragging it down and preventing it from reaching a fulfilled life. I, in some ways, related this to my own life in the sense that I have flaws that prevent me from reaching my full potential; dark spots in my life that bring me down and make me different from others. As I pondered deeply on this, I began to feel sorry for the apple, as silly as that may seem, and thought to ease it from its pain. It was rather smushy and bruised, but I loved it nonetheless. It was still an apple and that was enough in my mind. Now, as I look upon the event now, I see that indeed, it was just an apple. A fruit. A measly little speck in the every minute of my life which is a measly speck in comparison to the world. Yet I though about it, really gave it the time of day. The apple helped me realize life lessons I would not have realized otherwise. Just because someone had quirks and flaws doesn't mean they deserve any less. Thinking about such subjects over a mere apple seems silly now, but it was really just going the extra mile and respecting minute things like that. Furthermore, no. I did not eat the apple. Instead, I decided to ease it of its pain and my mom of her worries. Normally my mom finds all the crusty and moldy food in the fridge. The festering and rotting fruit that she has to take care of really doesn't please her at all. I decided to do a teeny act of kindness and clean out that portion of the fridge, I took out each injured piece of fruit, respectfully, and wished it a nice afterlife as I placed it into the garbage bin. Relieving my mom of the job and the apples of their misery, I felt great. I guess that is the outcome of helping someone. You always feel helped as well. A gift for both the giver and the receiver. So, to conclude, an apple is a small and often overlooked fruit, but when I took the time and traveled a bit farther, I came to the conclusion that spending time on something never turns out wrong. The smallest things make the difference, and even if it was something as much as thinking of an apple and biding it farewell to a pleasant afterlife, it counts as a change. In mindset. In attitude. And in life.

Going the Extra Mile

Going the extra mile in everyday life is simple. You do good for others and that thus enriches your life and theirs. It brightens their day and shines a light towards the right path to travel down. The guidance and wonders of a small act of kindness can go a long, long way. This blog is a tribute to all the small things in life that make a change and our the footprints of the first small steps taken to make a greater change in the kindness of human nature. It is always reassuring to find a hint of good here and a touch of generosity there. Feel free to share your stories about the good in people and your own experiences with little random acts of kindness. This blog is an outlet for the hopes of a better tomorrow with the light of today's kindness still shining through.