Wednesday = Welcome kindness and compassion

“The journey out of your head begins with a single laugh” (Strean, 2009). Once we occupy our hearts and full selves, we open up to each other and our natural kindness and compassion emerge.  Each day of the week we can focus on an alliterative attitude to lighten up and love life laughing: One way to define kindness is doing anything to help make other people’s lives a little easier. Some traditions believe that our basic nature is one of loving kindness. I’d like to think so.

I heard Wayne Dyer describe how acts of kindness improve our holistic health – when we engage in an act of kindness we get a benefit, when we receive an act of kindness we get a benefit, and even when we witness an act of kindness we get a benefit. Recognizing the difficulties and challenges that everyone faces in life, it behooves us to be kind to one another. If we are conscious of the suffering in all lives, we are more likely to be compassionate and understanding. Again, we can begin with some simple practices. On Wednesday we can open doors for people, lighten the load for others, smile at people we don’t know. I have a pet project related to kindness. There is a highway that runs through Edmonton called the Whitemud Freeway. I propose that if you happen to be on the Whitemud that you allow another driver to merge into your lane. Try it just on Wednesday. (And if your driving doesn’t bring you through this part of the world, feel free to try it on your local road.)

“As mentioned on page 38 of The HoHo Dojo: Lighten Up and Love Life Laughing, you can download a one-page handout of daily practices”