{"id":164,"date":"2016-03-03T14:06:52","date_gmt":"2016-03-03T14:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/?p=164"},"modified":"2020-05-24T14:21:17","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T14:21:17","slug":"be-kind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/03\/03\/be-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"Change Your Thoughts By Taking Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_5272\"<\/a>Be Kind<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I was in first grade I entered into a contest to see how many books I could read over the summer. Ever the competitor, I read like a champ that summer. One of the books that I absolutely loved was Aesop\u2019s Fables, a book of tales for children. The stories were so creative and wove a tale that always illustrated a moral. One of my favorite morals from the Fables is \u201cNo act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.\u201d It is derived from the story about the lion and the mouse. The lion reluctantly spares the mouse who later saves the lion by chewing threw the ropes ensnaring him.<\/p>\n

Despite the fact that these Fables are for children, they are instructive at any age. Sometimes it feels like our world is spinning so fast that we have forgotten some of the simpler things in life, such as kindness. But kindness isn\u2019t hard; it\u2019s as simple as a smile or acknowledgement. The dictionary definition of kindness is \u201chaving or showing a gentle nature and a desire to help others.\u201d Simple, right?<\/p>\n

            Truly, kindness is a choice we make throughout the day. It\u2019s easy with people we love, but what about everyone else? We interact with people on a myriad of levels and places: in traffic, the grocery line, over the phone, and on the elevator. Some of these interactions take place in the blink of an eye. I have found that expressing kindness through the simplest gesture \u2013 a smile \u2013 can have an earth shattering effect on my mood and that of the other person.   A lot of times you can just see the person relax a bit when you flash a smile and say good morning.<\/p>\n

Lately I\u2019ve seen a lot of stories about random acts of kindness. It reminds me of the principle that you can change your thinking by the actions you take. That is, I can mold negative thoughts about myself or the world around me by doing something for someone else, no matter how small. It takes me out of my own head and puts me in a position to think of others. The key, of course, is to keep my ego out of it and to keep my motives in check (that is, not expecting you to praise me for doing something nice). This is accomplished by doing something nice for someone else without letting that person know. In a way, it made me feel like a fairy godmother when I had an opportunity to slip a coin into someone\u2019s meter that was low.<\/p>\n

\"635881952005882535-gloves\"<\/p>\n

For me, the key to kindness is being awake, conscious and aware of what\u2019s going on around me rather than living in my head 24\/7. If I observe life going on around me, it\u2019s easy to find ways to be kind. Of course, acts of kindness need not be kept secret or be done without someone knowing. Like I said, it can start with something as simple as a smile.<\/p>\n

PHOTO from Des Moines Register <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Be Kind When I was in first grade I entered into a contest to see how many books I could read over the summer. Ever the competitor, I read like a champ that summer. One of the books that I absolutely loved was Aesop\u2019s Fables, a book of tales for children. The stories were so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hz1R-2E","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":423,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/12\/reading-corner\/","url_meta":{"origin":164,"position":0},"title":"Reading Corner","date":"December 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever thought about why we read books?\u00a0\u00a0Sounds odd, I know, but sometimes I think about how much time it takes to read a book and have this fleeting thought \u2013 is it worth it? Well, I would say that most of the time my answer is a resounding\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.navigationmaven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Photo-May-24-2-11-29-PM.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":103,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2015\/11\/18\/the-next-big-trip-ireland\/","url_meta":{"origin":164,"position":1},"title":"The Next Big Trip: Ireland!","date":"November 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland is a place I've always wanted to visit. \u00a0Partly because I have always been told that I have an Irish heritage - along with half of America! \u00a0(More about that later . . . ) For me, one of the best parts of a trip is the planning stage.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "ADVENTURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":181,"url":"http:\/\/www.navigationmaven.com\/index.php\/2016\/04\/18\/181\/","url_meta":{"origin":164,"position":2},"title":"The Journey is the Reward","date":"April 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"For some travelers, planning a trip is almost as enjoyable as the trip itself. 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