October 2019
How is kindness contagious?
Amir Hess
This reminds me of a story at the Drift Inn on the Arkansas River. I was working as a short order cook in a food cart. It was the first day of our liquor license and these fishermen there drank pretty heavily for a while. I was very busy when a rude woman came and started yelling out her order for the 11 people joining her. I told her I wasn't ready to take her order and I'll be with her in a minute. She just quite insisted on getting my attention right then and there to put her order in. Later, when the fisherman paid his bill, he told me to put her bill on his credit card. I knew he’d been drinking, so I confirmed he really wanted to pay their expensive 12 person bill. He didn't care what the bill was, he wanted to pay it. He gave me generous tips on both bills and asked me not to say anything until he left in his boat. I told the people this gentleman had paid their entire bill, and at that moment, I got to witness something really magical happen. Everybody was so blown away that this man had done something so kind for no reason, they all started talking about how they also want to be kind and pay it forward. Even the woman who was quite rude at the cash register said, "This is this is exactly how I want to be in my life, how that man is." It was really quite beautiful to witness so many people all at one time transform because of this one man's actions. It made me start to think about how kindness really is contagious and everybody can participate very easily because it's just something that is natural within us as humans, to be able to give to one another and to be able to touch one another's lives.
Kiara Perkins
When you do something kind for someone, it fills their heart and makes them want to do nice things for others. That energy is much needed in the world today. Kindness is filled with love, compassion and understanding. It’s essential to keep it expanding continually so the whole world will be filled with love.
The Pay It Forward movie is actually a true story. The author received wisdom from the Universe and wrote the story accurately. Archangel Raphael wanted to try an experiment to see if that technique would help raise the consciousness of mankind in the 4th Golden Age. They sent a cherubim angel to create the story of that little boy who brought forth the idea when the teacher asked his students to change the world. I remember the first time I heard the Pay it Forward concept. I had breakfast at this small town café where I overheard my waitress on the phone. "I'm about to have a baby, my car isn't working, and I don't have the money to fix it." I left a $100 tip. She thought I meant to leave $10, and she came screaming after me, waving the $100 in the air. "Lady, lady, lady! You made a mistake!" I said, "No mistake. It's my gift to you." She broke into tears, saying, "I will pay it forward." That's the first time I'd ever heard that. When I drove off, I thought, "I love it." Following that experience, I wrote articles about it and talked about it and I had an idea: Do a kind act for 3 people and ask each of them to do a kind act for 3 more people and instead of doing a pay back to you, they pay forward. This increases exponentially the magic of kindness. It can be spiritual, mental, emotional, physical or financial. This is magic in action, and you'll feel an emotion of excitement and joy. And kindness doesn't cost any money! It can. When I helped her, I knew she needed it and I had it. I'd been travelling, so I was carrying adequate money around. Although, I drove off and thought, "Boy, I hope I have enough money for gas now!" (laughing) I remember thinking, "Whoo! I hope I make it. I hope it'll be all right." It was.
Vickie Helm
For me, I think every act of kindness that's done authentically without expectation of a kindness back, just being authentically kind, has a level of resonance to it that anyone's heart or anyone’s soul can feel, and automatically you become. For example, when you're kind to an animal, because they can't even speak, but when you're kind to your animal, or if your animal is cuddly and wants to be kind with you, and no matter what you're doing that animal can get that level of “Hey, it's time to cuddle and love each other or pet each other or play with each other, etc." That unspoken kindness has a resonance where you stop and you go, "Awww.." And all kindness, all kinds of authentic kindness, is filled with love. There's an undertone of love and everybody responds to authentic love. That's how you heal the world. Authentic kindness breeds authentic peace and authentic love effortlessly. You don't have to do anything but be it and it'll do something.
Matthew Nava
Kindness, just like everything else, is contagious. Kindness is spread when we do kind things for people. They feel it in their heart and then want to do kind things for other people, leading into random acts of kindness. If we all think of how we can do the next kind thing for somebody, that’s the most beautiful role we can have. I love hanging around children because I feel children often do kind things for each other without expecting something back. I learn a lot by watching them, and I point it out to them because I want them to know how important it is to be kind. It's really the most important virtue to me. When I die, that's the one thing I’d like people to say about me is that I was a kind man. My grandpa was always so kind and taught me how to be kind, and I was like, "Oh my gosh, it feels so good when I'm around my grandpa." I also learned from my mom to share my kindness wherever I can.
I learn so much from Kid President. He says, "Good spreads when good is spread." That's why I say, "Kindness spreads when kindness is spread." It's not just thoughts. It's actions put behind our thoughts for people. I learned as an adult, as I was trying to get better myself, kindness can be as simple as smiling at somebody or making eye contact, because those aren't the easiest things to do but it brings connection. You're not always going to get a smile or eye contact back because we're all in different places, but as long as I'm putting out my kindness vibe, I feel I'm doing my part.
Tina Dibble Foy
In so many ways, we really can't count them. There are a lot of moments in life where we might meet someone and make an assumption based on that encounter where we don't feel welcome or we don't feel accepted. But most often if we just take the time to break that bubble and reach out in one way or another, whether it's through a gift or a favor or helping someone out when they're incapable of helping themselves, then we find that the string of kindnesses can continue. It reminds me of a story of when my daughter was in elementary school. There were a few kids in her class she didn't feel close to. One of them turned out to be a girl with a hearing disability who she became friends with when she reached out to the girl with a little bag of stickers and pencil erasers and other little favors I’d given her to take to school, just to give to those kids who didn't seem like they had any friends or who seemed lonely or sad. Once she reached out with those little kindnesses, she opened up a whole new world of friends.