Sacred Sunday: Be Kind

Be Kind!

Welcome and welcome back. It's another amazing day in paradise 🤩. Thank you for being here whether it's your first or fiftieth time. 

Today is Sunday, July 21, 2024. I'm on day 6 of my 13 day quest on social media. What a journey it's been to just get out there. I've been pushing past excuses and while the posts are quite lengthy, I'm simply grateful to be getting it done.

In fact, I'm posting this much later than the other posts I've done during this challenge. It's already 2 in the afternoon when most have been done by 9a/10a. It's been quite the day already.

I had planned to dip into a little more neuroscience today but I'm going to shift based on an experience I had between 6 & 7 this morning, with a stranger. If you need to read that again, go ahead.

It happened just as I was about to go back to sleep when this guy, who was walking on the sidewalk not far from where we park, called out to me. “Excuse me” he said and asked me if I knew where a certain place was.

I tried to answer without waking Wis but instead waved him over so I could talk to him. I answered his question. He was not far too far from where he wanted to be.

Then he asked if I had a phone charger. His phone was dead. I did. So I plugged it in for him. I understood that action meant it would take some time for his phone to charge and he would need to stay close. 

He decided to sit down on the curb which was about 20 feet from the car door. I can't remember what I asked him but he answered me. And then, out of the blue, he continued to talk.

He'd been through a lot that night into the morning and in the last few months. I just listened. When he was done I offered some feedback and we talked a little but mostly I listened. I thanked him for sharing.

After about 30 minutes his phone was at 34% and he felt comfortable heading on his way. It would have been charged more than that if I had plugged it in correctly the first time (smdh).

It really was an honor to be a witness to his experience, to allow him a chance to be vulnerable and transparent about the things he's been going through. He thanked me for helping, saying, “not many people would do what you've done”.

I guess that's true, especially at 6a in the morning. But then again, why not? I had an experience earlier this year where I was struggling with a decision I had made because in helping others it compromised an opportunity Wisdom and I had to get housed. 

Everytime I thought about our experience the scripture, “greater Love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. There is a grace extended and received when we “lay down” our lives for others, when we put away our agendas for others.

I feel so blessed God put me in his path. I'm so honored he wasn't afraid to ask me for help. We sleep with our windows all the way down in a parking lot. We have never been met with harm. We've seen a couple of interesting things but other than those, we've been safe. And now, God took our living situation and used me to help someone else.

This is so cool to me because there were no witnesses. He’s the only other person who can verify this story. What humbles me is knowing if he had kept walking he would have gone farther away from where he needed to be.

What's even more fascinating to me is there's no reason I should have known the destination he was seeking. I only knew where he was talking about because I passed it not too long ago, when Wisdom and I were out "getting lost" in an area I wasn’t familiar with.

I was able to Google, to be sure, and I was right. I told him if our backseat had not been full and Wisdom's seat wasn’t laid all the way back, I would have dropped him off. He was less than 2 miles from where he needed to be. He said he didn't mind the walk. 

I had already started the post for today. That's why I was laying back down. But God (my favorite phrase)… But God allowed me to have this experience and I just want to post a reminder to “be kind”. We never know what people are going through or have been through. 

That's why neuroscience is so important to me. When we know a person is in fight or flight we can just be present for them. He'd been more triggered earlier in the night/morning and had calmed down by the time we met.

But he admitted that overall he'd been running from a situation that was weighing heavy on his spirit. After he shared it I understood why. We never know what people have experienced. The best thing we can do is extend grace and kindness. 

It's been extended to me so often that I don't dare act like I don't have enough to spare. I'm different though. Compassion, by definition, is my foundation. So I am compelled to meet a need when I see it. 

Listening was an investment of my time and I didn't lose anything by sharing my time with that gentleman. In fact, the return on investment (ROI) was instant. That's the beautiful part about giving without expectation of return.

Again I'm honored and grateful I could serve him at 6a on a Sunday morning. Who knows how long it would have been before he got the info he needed if I wasn't there. It's a blessing to know he won't be finding out. 

Thank you again for being here. I hope something resonates for you, either to be kind or to be open to being the recipient of someone else's kindness. Continued success 👊🏾. Enjoy the amazing day you're creating 🪄✨. ☮️…

#DoYouKnowMommaKai

#ItsTimeToLUV

#EmancipatedMomma 

#LUVEnterprisesPresents

Photo caption: The rainbow Wisdom noticed as we were leaving the church we attended this morning. Do you notice how it's not bent like an arch with the ends touching the ground but more like a halo in the sky? Incredible, right? I think this is what kindness is like, a halo of light wrapping around someone when they need it most.