Random kindness brings joy and hope
by Sharon Higa | Feb. 17, 2021
Wednesday, Feb. 17 is Random Acts of Kindness Day, a time to celebrate random kindness and senseless acts of beauty that uplifts the spirit and heals the soul. With all that’s happening in today’s tumultuous world, who couldn’t use a little more kindness? We’ll share a few stories here and welcome you to share yours:
Scientists say that kindness can be taught and that the more you practice gentle compassion the more attuned you are to your own emotions as well as those of others. There also is a growing belief among researchers that humans are born with a kind gene, and I can believe it.
When my nephew was barely four years old, we went walking in the neighborhood and he stopped time and again to look and touch things. I was a little impatient, which I think the little guy sensed, but went with the flow determined to slow down and see the world through his eyes. At one point, he bent down and plucked a sprig of tiny purple flowers growing from a crack in the sidewalk. Then looking up into my eyes, he solemnly offered the flowers to me and beamed a huge smile when I accepted it. Did I care those purple flowers were really weeds? Not a bit. I keep the “flowers” in my journal as a reminder of that precious moment.
Kindness also is contagious, but in a good way, meaning one good deed leads to another … and another … and another.
The other day a friend told me that he had helped his uncle clear out the house of a relative who had recently passed and then took his uncle out to lunch. My friend had arranged to pay for their meal, but his uncle tried to secretly pay as well. “No, no, no,” he heard his uncle say aloud to the cashier while pushing money into her hand. She replied, “Your meal has already been paid for by the nice lady who just left.” Surprised by the gesture, my friend was curious to know about the mystery woman. He later learned that she had won the lottery years ago and received a small sum every month which she in turn used to randomly treat others as her way of paying it forward. “My uncle and I were trying to do something nice for each other and we were blessed by a complete stranger, how cool is that?” he mused.
Even a small act of kindness can provide huge benefits, both physically and emotionally. There is scientific evidence that shows kindness stimulates the production of serotonin, a hormone that contributes to our feelings of well-being, calm, and happiness.
Lynn Arakaki, an administrative assistant in Hawaiian Electric’s Grid Technologies Division, posts at least one positive, inspiring message every day on her social media channels. “With all of us being so isolated, it’s just something small that I can do, and I’ve received so much good feedback that it brings others joy,” she said. “After the (Capitol) riots I was heartbroken, and I made a decision to live positively with intention. I have no time, energy, or inclination to worry about anything that doesn’t bring me joy. I wanted to show my children and future grandchildren that the world can be what we make it, even when it’s hard.”
Arakaki, who has shared her epiphany with others after the passing of her husband almost two years ago, added, “So many people showed me kindness, compassion, and love during my time of need, even total strangers. It is my kuleana (responsibility) to pay it forward, set an example, and make those people and my late husband proud of the life I live.”
Kindness knows no bounds; it can be practiced at home, at school, at work, in a busy grocery store, by planting a tree or paying bills online (to reduce your carbon footprint), fostering a pet, donating to a shelter or favorite cause, eating local, volunteering in the community, and the list goes on. The rewards of kindness are priceless.
For Michelle Orian-Lau, a senior communications consultant in Hawaiian Electric’s Internal Corporate Communications Department, the stress of being a new mom and caring for her own mother during the pandemic were taking a huge toll but the thoughtfulness of colleagues provided a sense of relief and hope. “Some of my co-workers planned a schedule of food drop-offs for my family after I gave birth to my first child,” said Orian-Lau. “They did it safely, wearing masks and social distancing. It meant the world to my family to know that so many people cared. And my little girl got to meet her aunties and uncles for the first time, even though it was brief, and they were behind masks. I’m so lucky to work with such great people; I think my heart just got a little bigger.”
Kindness doesn’t need to be costly or even take a huge effort. Keep it simple, make it fun, and most of all, #ExploretheGood in this world and let’s all strive to #MakeKindnesstheNorm. Now, let’s hear your stories!
All poster quotes from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation website.
Sharon Higa is a senior communications consultant at Hawaiian Electric Company.
