Last night, we rolled in from a busy weekend to discover a small piece of artwork peering out at us from our dying petunia pots.
Someone left a brightly painted ladybug rock there for us and, thanks to the magic of social media, I knew exactly what that meant.
The Kindness Rocks Project offers people a simple, cute way to spread random messages of kindness and good cheer. The idea is to paint rocks with whimsical characters, or a messages of support, and leave them in random places throughout your neighborhood.
Random acts of kindness provide a life-affirming antidote to some of the random acts of natural devastation we’re witnessing in the form of massive hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires.
For instance, our friend Gina, hunkered down in an Orlando hotel, reported via Facebook the following love-affirming scene:
“Our hotel has taken in 600+ elderly assisted living patients. It’s now habit that everyone able to in hotel (nurses, hotel staff, guest volunteers) help wheel the masses to and from the banquets for their meals. Some cast and crew gathered for a quick sing along in the lobby. Spirits are high, this building is more than equipped for the impact that’s expected, and its a joy seeing such pure, good humanity.”
Even, and sometimes especially, in dire times, people rise to the occasion of their human call to kindness.
Of course, natural disaster victims require much more than cute rocks and kind thoughts, and we know, because we’ve seen it so often in the past, that people will rally in more specific ways as well. There will be blood drives, monetary donations, and volunteers who will lend their specific skills to help rebuild.
I intend to help in any way I can.
Meanwhile, I’m going to paint some rocks and spread the kindness vibe I find so often in this sweet little Mayflower-basket-hiding, trick-or-treat-loving, Christmas-caroling, baby-walking, kindness-spreading neighborhood I’m privileged to call my home.
Inspiring! Thanks.