"I am on a journey... With my work, my explorations, and a few sad stories. I travel with a suitcase full of outrageous blessings. I am on a quest for truth, beauty, and quiet joy. I am an artist, a writer, an explorer."

Monday 23 June 2014

On Kindness

Kindness.

A little kindness can go a long way, isn't that what they say? A simple smile; smiling to strangers is what I like doing best, and it feels so good when they smile back. Encouraging others; it is so rewarding to see that we have managed to boost someone's self-esteem.

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
 ~ Plato

Little acts of kindness to help someone in need, a form of connection with the people we encounter in our daily life. I'm mainly talking about the ones we do on the spur of the moment; it is so fulfilling to feel that we have gone a little out of our way in order to help someone, made their day a little better, and opportunities lie everywhere. What is best is that every act of kindness seems to have a ripple effect on the universe; observing kindness in others helps us tune into our own feelings of compassion.

The beach I went to this morning, at Latchi (Paphos), had a special facility for people with mobility problems: a seat that enables these people to enter the sea by slowing moving them across a wooden ramp and into the sea where they can then be lifted off it. A woman was trying to get her husband into the sea via this device. However, it would get stuck once it reached a certain point down the ramp and this was caused by pebbles and sand trapped within the gaps on which the seat moved. The woman realised this, stopped the device, and began removing pebbles and sand from the gaps. She tried the device again but to no avail. To my surprise, the person on guard today did nothing. Slowly, however, people began to notice. A man went to give her a hand, followed by a woman, followed by her husband and eventually a couple of others. They all started removing pebbles and sand, more pebbles and sand. They kept trying the device, it wouldn't work. Two more women went to see if they could help with their own ideas. This was clearly a ripple effect! Amazing. Positive vibes all around, I could feel it. And it worked, it finally worked! They all let out a relieved cheer as they watched the device move past the point where it would get stuck, eventually transferring the man into the sea. It must have felt so good for all of those who had helped in the process. 

No act of kindness ever goes wasted, however small. But it's not only about doing a good deed and getting it over with; it's about doing it genuinely, developing kindness and compassion within us.


"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible"
~ Dalai Lama


 Photo by Alice Karayiannis

Thursday 5 June 2014

My Selves

This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers

I came across this in the book I'm currently reading and it is spot on so I had to share. 

Now you know a little more about me, although I'm sure we all share these different selves from time to time :) Goodnight!