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Kindness is one of the most civilized expressions of the human being. The well-known US writer George Saunders has written a book on this theme, Congratulations by the Way: Some Thoughts on Kindness. He says that what he regrets most in life are failures of kindness.
Expressing the Gentle Fragrance of Kindness
I remember a friend sharing with me the infinitely sad story of this young man from San Francisco who was on the verge of committing suicide and decided he would give life a last chance: he would cross the whole city on foot and if one single person smiled at him, he would not commit suicide.
He committed suicide.
I ardently pray that I never be the person who passes him without smiling!
I bless myself in my deep yearning to sow everywhere the spiritual fragrance of anonymous blessings.
When I see or feel the slightest hint of suffering in my sister or brother, beast or bird, may I help allay it by claiming the opposite of what the material senses scream.
When I become aware of any situation of distress or lack on this gentle blue planet that supports us all, may the kindness woven into the texture of my soul rise to alleviate it in any manner available to me.
May I never later in life ever regret a missed opportunity to express kindness.
May I never pretend or claim I am too rushed by time to perform a random act of kindness, or that my act of kindness is really unimportant, or that in any case it is too insignificant to be of any meaning, for the tiniest act of kindness is of more value to the progress of humankind than the donation of a huge fortune for a wealthy man’s self-aggrandizement.
And may I, through every single act of kindness of mine, planned or spontaneous, challenging or easy, be seen as Your smile upon the earth and Your comforting Presence upholding all. May people no longer see me, but only, only, only YOU.
Compassionate Blessing Restores Peace (Testimony)
“At the time I was living in Yverdon, Switzerland, on the ground floor of a small four-storied building and I had access to a little lawn with some flowers. One day, I noticed several cigarette butts on the lawn; irritated, I picked them up. From then on, every day, new butts were tossed in front of my window, and the location suggested that they were thrown from one of the windows of the apartments above my own. Angered I tried to catch the offending smoker, without any success.
Suddenly, I remembered that Pierre had introduced me to the art of blessing, and I decided to put it to a test.
So I thought about this person and felt compassion for them. Indeed, one often lights a cigarette because of hassles, worries, wounds that trouble our lives. Moreover, this person was very likely addicted to cigarette smoking.
So I began blessing this individual in their life, to claim peace and new hope on their behalf as well as freedom from the smoking dependency. Each butt became a motivation and a reminder to bless. To my surprise, within a few weeks, the cigarette butts disappeared, although nobody in the building had moved out.
The practice of blessing first brought me peace of mind by eliminating my irritation, and then specifically, my lawn remained clean.” (CG, Switzerland)
Expressing Kindness Through Anonynous Blessings
Anonymous blessing is a unique manner of expressing kindness.
I bless myself in my ability to stay open to the innumerable opportunities in my life to express loving-kindness: giving up my seat or carrying the bag of an elderly citizen, saying a kind word of appreciation to the supermarket cashier for her smile, exchanging a few words with a homeless beggar rather than just anonymously giving some change and hurrying on – and the thousand other opportunities with which my life is graced.
I bless myself in my ability to see that every act of kindness is also a gift to myself, broadening my heart’s outreach, often softening the use of my time, awakening my awareness, filling me with quiet joy and above all teaching me to see myself in my sister or brother. For truly we shall love our neighbors only as we recognize them to be the reflected image of who we are.
I bless myself in my ability to express my innate loving-kindness to all nature: to avoid walking on the ant or the fly on the ground, to spare swatting the mosquito whose strident buzz drives me crazy, to gently raise the bended daffodil and to take the time to support it with a small stick, to dig a grave for the fallen sparrow because for me it is meaningful, to donate generously to a specific activity aimed at supporting some urgent or important environmental issue, to talk to a caged dog that seems so desperate for a kind word.
To just let the innate kindness of my heart arise and shine.
©2022 by Pierre Pradervand. All Rights Reserved.
Reprinted with permission from the author.
Article Source
365 Blessings to Heal Myself and the World: Really Living One’s Spirituality in Everyday Life
by Pierre Pradervand.
Can you imagine what it would feel like to never feel any resentment for any wrong done to you, gossip or lie disseminated about you? To respond with full awareness to all situations and people rather than react from your gut? What freedom that would entail! Well, this is just one of the gifts the practice of blessing from the heart, i.e. sending out focused love energy, will do for you. This book, from the bestselling author of The Gentle Art of Blessing, will help you learn to bless all situations and people as you go through the day and add overwhelming joy and presence to your existence.
For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.
About The Author
Pierre Pradervand is the author of The Gentle Art of Blessing. He has worked, travelled and lived in over 40 countries on five continents, and has been leading workshops and teaching the art of blessing for many years, with remarkable responses and transformational results.
For over 20 years Pierre has been practising blessing and collecting testimonies of blessing as a tool for healing the heart, mind, body and soul.
Visit his website at https://gentleartofblessing.org
