Kindness Counts More Than Ever: Three Ways To Give Back Right Now
Kindness counts right now — more than ever. In a world where quarantine, social distancing, and a life threatening pandemic is shaking us all to our core, emotions are running high and the unknowns of what is to come are rampant.
Personally, quarantine has been very hard for me. I was furloughed by my company. I live alone. I, like many Americans, do not have endless savings ready to tap into at the drop of a hat. I’ve spent a great deal of time spinning my wheels focused on the unknown and the grief of the situation in front of me that has made me feel very helpless.
However, despite feeling helpless in many ways and unsure of what is to come, the one thing that I have tried to focus on was what I could control — and that is ways to give back to my family, friends, and the larger community at hand.
Here are three ways I’ve been able to give back during these trying times and in return, these ways have offered me bits of peace and gratefulness.
Reach out: Whether it’s through a handwritten card or note, an e-mail, a text message, an Instagram Direct Message, a Facebook message, or a carrier pigeon … reaching out to friends who may be the most vulnerable right now (ones who live alone, ones who were laid off, ones who aren’t always forthcoming about how they feel or what is going on in their life) can go a long way. Saying hi and checking in can mean a lot to someone who isn’t invited to multiple Zoom happy hours or working full-time form home. plus it will make the person receiving the message feel oh-so-good that somebody took the time to think of them and reach out. As someone who lives alone and has found the quarantine to be very difficult, my heart has been touched by every unsuspecting message that has come in.
Do the thing you promised you would do: Quarantine has given all of us a lot of time that we wouldn’t have had on our hands otherwise. To some, this time is a blessing and to others, this time is some form of a nightmare. To me — it’s been hard to navigate because I pride myself on being a doer. If you promised your friend you would read his screenplay, do it. No more excuses. If you promised a client that you would go through their chaotic database of photos months ago but it keeps going to the bottom of your to-do list — make it a priority to get it done. These tasks will make you feel like you’re getting something accomplished but it will also give back to the person who asked for the task to be completed in the first place. With all this time, sometimes tackling the more obscure projects can provide the greatest sense of accomplishment during a time where it’s hard to feel like progress is being made.
Volunteer how and when you can — Since being furloughed, I’ve offered to help small businesses hurting from COVID19 closures re-strategize their marketing and social media dollars and tactics. It’s a small gesture to help those in need for free, but why not do so when I’m out of work and others are hurting? Whether you can donate time or money (and I realize a lot of us do not have extra to spare right now) — volunteering is a quick way to make you feel like you’re doing something. How else can you volunteer? Volunteer to make dinner for your elderly neighbor or help walk their dog. Look into larger organizations that need help sorting food pantry goods. Volunteer to give your friend’s daughter a Zoom lesson on guitar. Find something you can do and volunteer that time and energy.
“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.
― Henry James”
All of these things may seem small, even miniscule, but I have realized these three things are huge right now. A smile or a wave to a neighbor could be more impactful than you could imagine. The things that probably seemed small or trivial two months ago are important now and foundation blocks to spreading kindness, which we need a cup full of every day to combat the reality that we are living in.
Whether we have another month of quarantine or six (oh let’s hope not), kindness is going to be a pillar to help us all — every last one of us — get through this. So, let’s spread it far and wide.