"Attention is rarest and purest
kind of generosity."
Simone Weil
In public, it is heart breaking to watch a person struggle without assistance. Isn't there someone ... anyone ... there who has a heart or the slightest degree of compassion? In private, we are aware of a person's suffering; and, not feeling adequate to deal with the situation, we turn our backs. In the depths of our being, our wounds suddenly become triggered and we automatically withdraw.
The generosity of kindness is endless whether we slip the sobbing woman a kleenex or gently squeeze her hand. The frustrated person behind the counter can be given attention with a warm smile or acknowledgment of what she wears. Kindness is a distraction from our challenge like taking a deep breath. Momentarily, our minds shift away from the pressure before us.
Send a card by snail mail, drop off a flower from the garden in the mailbox, leave a copy of a favorite book or send a simple text. Don't wait for the negative to happen, either. Leave a cold bottle of water for the mail man, help an elder with groceries, freeze small batches of cookies to grab for the delivery man or the child next door. Come on, get generous! It will lift our own spirits, as well.
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