We might wonder about the impact of a gratitude practice or simply committing a random act of kindness. Many times, those actions go unnoticed, unappreciated or worse. It’s easy to look out for your own personal wellbeing or time. Those moments can be the most impactful. It might seem that the little choices you make when you are in a hurry or trying to take care of yourself are not as important as the big moments when everyone is watching. But, in fact they create the most lingering feelings.

The Orange Umbrella

The other day I saw a social media post depicting an orange umbrella just covering the top of a car. The caption read something like, “whoever saw my sunroof was open I cannot thank you enough for your random act of kindness.” The image of the umbrella just covering the open sunroof was striking enough on its own, but the responses were just as good.

People were open. Some people said, honestly, they would probably go home. Others said it depended on where they lived. For instance, some felt they would have left their umbrella if they lived close by. They wondered how the person got home, how they felt. But others said they would do the same thing. Many responded without hesitation that they would have done the same thing.

It struck me how many people stopped scrolling to comment on this. I think the reason is that gratitude is contagious. One act of compassion and another person’s deep gratitude created a moment of community. I’m sure most of those people made their posts, went on with their day, and forgot about it. But not everyone. I know that I’ll be thinking about this for a while because the memory of the orange umbrella reminds me how important it is to have compassion for others. It reminds me also that there are no little things.

Kindness is Contagious

This small gesture of kindness, to protect someone else’s car from certain disaster at the cost of their own discomfort meant a lot. The person receiving the gesture spread her gratitude to others. I’m sure that those who stopped to comment, and maybe even those that didn’t, will think twice before continuing on their way. Some may change their behavior and commit that random act of kindness. In turn, creating gratitude in another. Kindness is contagious. Gratitude is too.

There are no Little Things

I am sure that the person that left the umbrella on the car felt good about themselves as they trudged along the soggy sidewalk and reached the warmth of their home. The warm home probably felt extra cozy as they knew that on that day, they had done something to help one another. They may have felt grateful for their momentary kindness, and their warm home. That person had an opportunity to keep their umbrella, and also to walk home warm and dry, but the impact of giving that up had deeper ripples than they knew about.

There are no small gestures. Random acts of kindness, gratitude, and compassion are the threads we weave together to create the fabric of our lives.

Namaste