Cool Hand Luke Skywalker (2008-Aug 1, 2019) in the Labyrinth
Practice random acts of kindness and senseless beauty. Anne Herbert
Kindness is top of mind and heart this blustery, snowy morning in the sacred Sangre de Cristo mountains. I’ve been spiraling through numerous thoughts and stories about kindness since last evening. Muse seeming to go happily along wherever the journey leads, including sidetracking to talk briefly with a visiting friend. ‘Hey, we could even simply share random quotes about kindness …’, Muse suggests.
Oh Muse, I like that. The day moving from wind and clouds to sun back to more clouds to blowing snow seems random in a way. This day I notice my own thoughts and energy following that pattern.
That individually and collectively our world would benefit from more expressions of kindness is so obvious that I wonder why the words land on the page. ‘Reminders,’ offers Muse. ‘Everyone needs a reminder from time to time,’ adding ‘and, intention. What if kindness was intentional not simply random?’
Hmm…, seeds of kindness spread randomly with intention. How might that spiral through our lives, our world, our planet home? The idea aligns with, perhaps flows from, seeds planted earlier this week, acknowledging a new moon cycle on Monday. Walking the labyrinth with the intention of planting seeds of peace, love, joy, I found the varieties of seeds growing as I walked and gently chanted. Each time I chanted ‘peace, love, joy’ a new seed presented itself to be added to the mix: courage, gratitude, curiosity, laughter, and kindness among them.
I felt myself planting these seeds anew in the garden of my heart, in the spirit of these woods, and in the consciousness of the fields of activity where I put attention. Today intentional kindness seems to be rising to the top of where I’m guided to focus my choices, my deeds.
That’s not surprising as this week I’ve experienced two seemingly random stories of kindness that loom large in my awareness. It seems not so random that each touched my heart and has stayed with me. One was a friend’s beautiful story about rescuing a turtle that was on a heavily travelled road and a later encounter with the person whose pet that turtle is. The depth of my friend’s kindness didn’t surprise me, rather it served as a beautiful example of the magic that flows when we follow guidance as we receive it.
There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things; it presides everywhere, often in the places we least expect. The world can be harsh and negative, but if we remain generous and patient, kindness inevitably reveals itself. John O’Donohue
Kindness in the midst of heavy traffic. No question that would serve humanity well.
My second powerful encounter with kindness brought home how we simply don’t know how our kindness will land, the impact it will have. In this case it was my own, a choice in 2010 to open my home to a young canine, Cool Hand Luke Skywalker. If you’ve been reading for a while, Luke was sometimes front and center of a weekly Zone or Pivot post. For me he was that kind of teacher. He crossed the rainbow bridge in 2019, but often seems present as I walk through life. While I knew that he was beloved by all who met him, this week, another friend’s story of her encounters with Luke Skywalker first while he was still a vibrant physical presence in my home and later when she encountered him in service to others in the etheric realm, poignantly reminded me that all our choices seed the future. Not just our individual future, but our futures collectively.
With every choice me make, with every thought we think, with every word we speak WE are seeding the future. This is our power.
The steps we take now make new earth grow beneath our feet. The steps we take now decide what kind of earth that will be. In every moment we have the choice to find the fight or to make delight. We have power. Anne Herbert & Margaret Paloma Pavel (Random Acts of Kindness & Senseless Beauty)
As I’ve reflected on kindness since hearing these stories, it seems clear to me that intention supports us in touching the kindness that dwells deep within, a natural part of our design and our being. While most, if not all of us, would never intend to be unkind, do we intend to express kindness in life? Do I?
Be kind. Be connected. Be unafraid. Rivera Sun
Let’s spiral kindness randomly, intentionally, individually, collectively in all that we do. I’m intending a world of kindness. What about you?
P.S. Did you know that February 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day every year? A little late this year, but already on my calendar for 2024!
