Last night, when I attended the Ash Wednesday mass, what the priest said somehow struck a chord in me. He challenged everyone to do acts of mercy or acts of kindness at least once daily for the lenten season i.e. the next 40 days.
I took the challenge. So, for the next 40 days, I will be chronicling minute acts of kindness I do daily not for the purpose of boasting but merely to challenge myself and pour some insight on those acts whether or not I like to do them.
DAY 1: I BROUGHT HOME-BAKED CUPCAKES FOR CO-WORKERS. For some, this is no big deal. But for me and for my present co-workers, it is. Seemingly, no matter how much they bugged me to bake for them for the past three years, I never budged. "I only bake when I'm motivated," I reasoned. I resolved before to only do the things I would like to do and not be coerced into for the end result usually is not favorable. And I would end up just regretting having wasted my time. I baked for my friends outside of work and co-workers in previous facilities I worked in but never for my present employment of 3 years.
I took the challenge. So, for the next 40 days, I will be chronicling minute acts of kindness I do daily not for the purpose of boasting but merely to challenge myself and pour some insight on those acts whether or not I like to do them.
So I did start today.
DAY 1: I BROUGHT HOME-BAKED CUPCAKES FOR CO-WORKERS. For some, this is no big deal. But for me and for my present co-workers, it is. Seemingly, no matter how much they bugged me to bake for them for the past three years, I never budged. "I only bake when I'm motivated," I reasoned. I resolved before to only do the things I would like to do and not be coerced into for the end result usually is not favorable. And I would end up just regretting having wasted my time. I baked for my friends outside of work and co-workers in previous facilities I worked in but never for my present employment of 3 years.
The gesture of baking them home-baked cupcakes brought me hugs and smiles from them.
This gesture became an act of appreciation. Initially, I was merely inspired to bake. But in the end, it allowed me to show my appreciation to them for all the unrestrained words that I may not have spoken when I should, to be thankful for everything they did to make my work easier. Alan Cohen opines, " Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts."