For my message this week,  I wanted to include an excerpt from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation:

"Humans spend so much time and energy focusing on the negatives that affect us. When a moment of kindness appears, it’s as if a fog has been lifted... just for a moment. It’s lovely. It makes us feel good. We smile. But, then the fog rolls back in and we go back to ‘the norm’ of our daily lives. We don’t put in the effort to truly appreciate and reflect on those moments. What is your ‘norm’? Where do those moments appear in your day and how frequent are they? My guess is that many of us will have a hard time answering that question because we don’t register those experiences when they happen. They are simply short, passing moments of delight. 

But, what if we started being intentional about not only noticing and absorbing them when they happen to us, but creating those moments for others? What if we made it a point to go slightly outside of our comfort zone at least once a day to make someone smile? To share a compliment with a co-worker or friend? To reach out to a family member we haven’t spoken to in awhile? 

What if we stopped thinking about them as random acts of kindness and started thinking about them as intentional acts of kindness?"

While sometimes planning for sharing love and kindness, may seem forced because we have been taught that love and kindness should come naturally. We say to our self "Oh they know that I love them/care about them" In reality, it is difficult to ensure that you are making time for love and making your love clear to those who you want to share it with.

This week, I challenge you to plan for love and kindness alongside me -

self-love

love for your family and friends,

love for your work,.

love for your colleagues.

And most of all, plan for the love and kindness that you know will come the hardest for your this week.

Kindness starts with one. One smile. One compliment. One cup of coffee. One conversation. Let’s lift the fog and make kindness the norm. #MakeKindnessTheNorm