A Few Random Acts of Kindness

I'm a big fan of The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Kind acts send ripples through the population. They can spread exponentially, as seen in the movie Pay It Forward. A simple smile might change someone's life. It's worked wonders for me on occasions when I felt hopelessness asking for admittance to my soul.

The simplest acts of kindness cost nothing at all--that's the beauty of it. My retired paternal grandfather goes to the mall several times a week for the express purpose of smiling at the people he passes. He also waves at everyone he sees when driving, and he never passes up the chance to compliment a cashier or waitress. Many of his friends think he's nuts. I, on the other hand, think he's a great man.

Noel Paul Stookey, the "Paul" of Peter, Paul and Mary, wrote a song called "Revolution 1 x 1," which is featured on his latest solo CD called Facets of the Jewel. The song advocates a smile and a wave as the way to conquer people's fears and suspicions. It's a hard slog to try to change the world one person at a time, but it's probably the only way.

Hats off to my grandfather, hats off to Stookey. Let's keep the revolution going.