Do Your Little Bit of Good
Sometimes, the smallest gestures of kindness can create the biggest impact.
I’ve always possessed a desire to help those in need, to make someone’s life a little bit easier, and to leave the world better than I entered it. When I was a little girl, I would fantasize about leaving my mark on society, to make such an indelible change in the fabric of the planet that my name and memory would be talked about and remembered for all eternity.
In my little utopic world, there’s no injustice, everyone is treated fairly, and there’s no room for violence, war, famine or any of the other atrocities we hear about daily. Unfortunately, that isn’t reality.
I’ve always been a sensitive person. Things that others may not give a second thought to tend to stick with me. It seems as if my son is following in my footsteps.
One instance comes to mind when we were at an insect museum at the Jersey Shore when he was in the throes of his bug obsession. As we were inspecting the different stations, we came across a poor little guy that was on his back, inadvertently flipped over, his legs pumping furiously trying to set himself upright again.
My son caught sight of the struggling bug, and he was so fixated on it, worrying if he was in pain, and if anyone would come to help him flip over again. I told him that a museum employee would find the bug eventually and help him get right yet again.
Something inside of me felt bad for this bug, too, and even though I detest bugs, I wish I could’ve reached inside and flipped him over. My son talked about this bug situation periodically for weeks after we returned home from vacation, wondering if he ever went right side up again. Sometimes, months after, he still brings it up.
Before marriage and having a child, I had a lot more free time to volunteer to try to make change in the world. I would help out on Thanksgiving to pack up and deliver meals to those who may not have been able to afford a beautiful dinner. I remember going to veteran homes and volunteering to play games with the residents, volunteering at soup kitchens, clothes and toy drives, protesting things which I perceived as unjust and unfair, and tutoring kids from underserved areas, helping them with their homework and studies.
Because of the shifts in my present life situation, my ability to go off into the world unfettered at a moment’s notice is now not so easy to come by. I felt fulfilled leaving my mark in the world where I could, and I miss that sense of gratitude I received from helping people.
It made me realize that things that I bemoan in my own life aren’t really that bad in the grand scheme of things. That’s not meant to belittle mine or anyone else’s personal experiences, as we still need to feel our feelings and process our emotions, but it put things in perspective for me and took me out of my head, at least for a time.
When my son is a little older, I’ll introduce him to the world of service, so his view of humanity expands, and it can teach him valuable lessons in gratitude, empathy and compassion. I do my best to instill these values in him daily, but there’s something special about stepping out of the usual and venturing into spaces and situations that you wouldn’t ordinarily encounter, that can truly drive the lessons home.
While taking part in grand gestures of supporting others is important, I believe that maybe even the smallest acts of kindness can bring a little bit of relief and luminosity into our increasingly dark world. Even though I do miss journeying out into society to do good, maybe holding the door for someone, or saying good morning pleasantly with a smile, could brighten their day.
I could give sincere compliments to a stranger. I can do favors, volunteer to help someone out, or just be an ear to listen. It would be a welcome change for me instead of always rushing from one thing to the next, often trapped in my proverbial insulated bubble. I can remember that there is more to life than being on an endless, unwinnable quest to get everything off my never-ending to-do list.
One of the biggest things I can do is to raise my son to be a decent and kind human, with a big heart and a conscience. If I can do that, that would be my biggest contribution to the world as we all need those kinds of people on the planet to keep it spinning.
There’s no way to know what someone else is experiencing in life. They may be hanging on precariously by a thread. Maybe they just lost their job, or they recently got divorced. Maybe they lost a loved one or just got diagnosed with a disease.
We have no idea about the sufferings of others. I’m guilty at times of having a huge smile on my face when I’m dying inside. We just don’t know the crosses others bear. The small things can add up in a big way, and a little gesture of kindness may bring someone back from the brink and remind them there’s still goodness in this world.
I’ve spotted a quote many times that says, “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” Sometimes, I need to take a breath, get out of my head and remember that my son watches everything, and if I want him to grow up to be a decent human, I need continually make the effort to be one myself. In moments when I’m hurried, stressed, angry or sad, I can still be kind, and grateful for everything I have in my life. That can make all the difference to overwhelm the world with little bits of good.
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