Cultivating Kindness

I had a rather unique experience last night, where I went to the gas station, and got a soda, and a few pieces of candy. Upon preparing to leave the gas station, a man signaled me from across the parking lot, at first glance it seemed as though he was wanting me to buy something, from my initial perspective, but I soon realized that he was asking for help. This man was clearly not from this country, and to make matters even harder for him, he only had one eye, and at the sight of him, my heart was filled with a vast amount of empathy for his situation.

I rolled down my window, and the man was asking for anything I could spare, but I unfortunately do not carry cash on my person, due to having misplaced it many times, so I find it to be a safer method for myself if I keep it in the bank, to mitigate the possibility of me losing it. I told the man that I would help him, and got out of my car, and proceeded into the gas station, where he walked over to the soda machine, and began filling up a cup, the cup overflowed all over the floor, so it appeared as though this man had never used a soda dispenser before. I quickly grabbed a hand full of paper towels and began cleaning up this mans mess, and he was quick to follow suit, and began helping me. The man seemed very much out of place, and somewhat confused, because he then grabbed a salad, and proceeded to place it in the microwave, which I personally thought was a little odd.

Once the mess was cleaned up, and the man had secured a second salad, which was not microwaved, he forgot to grab dressing for it, so I walked him through the steps involved with making a salad, and we gathered dressings, that were to his liking, being very adamant that he does not like spicy things, I was sure to instruct him towards the dressings that contained no spiciness. I walked up to the register with this man, and proceeded to pay for his meal and drink, with my card. I felt so bad for this mans situation, due to the fact that I have been in a similar situation in my past, of being homeless, and having nothing, where I was at the mercy of the kindness of those around me, to assist me, if they were able to do so.

I was very touched by this mans sense of aloofness, and his inability to speak much English, he was at the mercy of his surroundings, and that left him very vulnerable, and while I was not able to offer him cash, I could see, that he truly needed help, because he wasn't just looking for cash, he was looking for legitimate help, which was made clear when he asked if I would be able to help him with some food. We never fully know the struggles that another person is facing, and if someone approaches you in earnest, and asks for help, and presents evident proof, that they truly need it, and are not just looking for money, I implore you to open your heart, and allow it to make such decisions for you.

This world is not an easy place for any of us to live in, for life is always a state of suffering, to some degree, even if it is very small in scope. I find that cultivating kindness, is not a difficult thing to do, and that when one who is in need is shown such kindness, it can in fact alter the course of their life in a substantial way, even though my gesture, was small to me, to this man, it was profound, because there are unfortunately not a whole lot of people that are willing to help another, at a moments notice, but this is in my opinion, the way we should be. Don't turn your back on someone who truly needs help, and has fallen on hard times, because this is a reality, that could befall any of us, at any given time, no matter how secure your life seems.

Consistent acts of kindness are necessary to alter the vibration of the world around us, and to also alter the frequency of thought which the people around us are functioning on. When others observe a stranger committing an act of genuine kindness, it can inspire them to do the same in a situation which may arise in their life, where they are met with someone who is in dire need of help, hence, causing them to repeat the actions of their prior observance of kindness, in a future event. It takes very little effort to help someone, it actually takes much more effort to turn someone away, because not only are you turning them away, having the capacity to help them, you will most likely be beating yourself up to some degree for turning them away, and this is the spirit inside of you, letting you know that your actions were not conducive with spiritual growth, and are not a true reflection of the divinity that exists within all of us.

Always be willing to lend a hand, and help another, even if the gesture is small, the effects of these actions, may be more profound than you could have ever imagined.

Brightest Blessings.