Over the years, several people have shown me kindness, and that has influenced me to do the same for others. An act of kindness can be a life-changer, or perhaps simply change someone's day. Many times, I have experienced this; I can attest to that, and I know that many people also have similar experiences, just like I do.
Image taken and edited in canva
I think it's very easy to be kind. It doesn't have to be something too big for us to show kindness to others. It could be simply giving a genuine compliment to someone or being kind with words, which in turn can change that person's mood for the better. It could be surprising a neighbor with a meal or even giving a drink to celebrate someone when he or she least expected it. The list is endless, and by so doing, we keep spreading kindness to each other. Kindness should be a lifestyle to be embraced by everyone and practiced all the time in our day-to-day activities, extending a little helping hand where we can and making others feel happy.
Kindness is contagious, except for someone who doesn't have an open mind to be influenced by an act of kindness received by others. I met someone on this Blockchain sometimes two years ago through engagement, and we kept connecting. This connection extended beyond this space but through other social media handles, especially via Discord. We have never seen each other physically till date, but this person has in many ways greatly influenced me by her act of kindness. Sometimes, through our conversation, I will ask if she is an angel or a human being. We have shared different stories together, and I kept knowing this person more, and her kindness always baffles me. It's as if he is living her life for humanity. I remember the first $50 she gifted me during Christmas last two years, and then I remember how she sent me money to replace my phone last year when she heard that I was offline because my phone got bad suddenly, and many other kind gestures of hers that I can't continue to mention here.
As if that wasn't enough, earlier this year, she remembered that I once told her of my offline business, which I am working on establishing, and guess the question she asked me: "What's holding you back from the business? Nkem, I really want you to be established and secure financial stability. If it's money, just let me know how much you need to kick off, and I will help you with it. I can wait until you are able to pay it back." I read the text over and over again before replying to her. I was wondering how someone who hasn't even seen me physically would be this kind to me. Sincerely, I can't express how I feel about this huge kindness from someone I met virtually. The money I needed wasn't small money, and it was so heavy in my mouth to say, but I managed to mention the amount, and to my greatest chagrin, I received the same amount from her, and she even added that if it's not enough, she can assist again. My husband was speechless when I told him, and he couldn't stop examining his life to see if he has such a heart for other people.
This act of kindness to me gave me lots of reality checks and challenged me to do similar things to others whenever the opportunity comes. It's not as if I haven't been showing kindness to people, but this person has been a lot of influence on me, and I am trying to keep spreading this chain of kindness to others as much as I can.
Last month, I was set to visit the Lagos market to shop for a particular item, so dear me. This item is personal and quite expensive. Gradually, I was saving for it, and just two days before I wanted to visit the market, a young family man visited my home. Of course, I know him, but we aren't all that close. And I know that he has been struggling financially with his family. He has a smaller car, but it gives him issues. He is a teacher, and since school was on holiday, he wants to fix his car and use it for online rides as an extra source of income to sustain his family. This young man didn't have the money to fix his car and keep hustling, so he came so that I might assist him financially. I was touched by many of his stories, and then I remembered how someone I have never seen could sacrifice that much for me. Why can't I do the same for this young man? The item I wanted to buy can wait. I think showing kindness to this man to earn and feed his family without begging looks more important, I said to myself.
You could feel his joy in this WhatsApp conversation after receiving the alert from me.
Finally, one thing I have discovered that kindness does is that it certainly increases our happiness quotient thereafter. I think the world needs kindness and love. It always starts with one person and their own environment. Let's keep spreading kindness in our capacity and not break this chain.
This for reading through ♥️♥️♥️
This is my response to the #hivelearners contest on the topic titled Don't break the chain