Once a year, Michael Chase, founder of The Kindness Center, spends a full 24 hours on the streets of southern Maine without sleep, performing spontaneous acts of kindness.
For Michael, kindness is a philosophy to be lived, a moment-by-moment choice for how to be present in the world. And for the rest of us, he is a reminder of how lives can be transformed by seemingly “small” things like a smile, a hug, or a kind word.
Here are some video highlights from his latest 24-hour odyssey:
Wow! Thanks 4 sharing that wonderful video. It does feel so good to perform random acts of kindness. My daughter received a gift certificate from a family member for Old Navy which she knew she wasn’t going to use. So she walked up to a mother with two small children to whom she had to say, ‘no we’re not getting that today’ and gave it to her. She cried. Thanks for the reminder to keep these acts front and center in our lives.
This morning 3/7 during morning meditation I imagined our President coming into Congress in his basketball uniform. He told everyone that it is time to become a team with common goals – the opponent is divisiveness, ego, anger, being oppositional. Everyone came together to devise and then implement the game plan – abundance for all, health care for all, sharing, kindness, love, peace….. Then Barry Manilow’s One Voice song came into my head. I envisioned everyone everywhere standing with one candle singing One Voice singing in the darkness…..
Just One Voice,
Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice,
Singing so they hear what’s on your mind,
And when you look around you’ll find
There’s more than
One Voice,
Singing in the darkness,
Joining with your One Voice,
Each and every note another octave,
Hands are joined and fears unlocked,
If only
One Voice
Would start it on its own,
We need just One Voice facing the unknown,
And then that One Voice would never be alone,
It takes that One Voice.
It takes that One Voice.
Just One Voice
Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice,
Shout it out and let it ring.
Just One Voice,
It takes that One Voice,
And everyone will sing!
As I imagined this scene, I brought it back to my corner of the Universe – and remind myself to keep singing my song and letting my Voice be heard and joined with others to create harmony.
Blessings to you Sumaiya for all you create in our world.