The Thought Creator

Welcome to the first edition of The Thought Creator.

My aim is to create a space where you can take a mindful moment to be inspired. In a world moving at considerable pace, I hope to provide you with an opportunity to take five, make a cuppa, sit, read, and create a thought. Where you take that thought will be up to you, I'll just be planting the seed.

In today's issue, enjoy reading about my fave topic Kindness!

Kindness

Kindness (noun): the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate; a kind act ~ English Oxford Living Dictionaries.

Back in 2021 I renovated a discarded doll's house I found on someone's hard rubbish and turned it into a street library. Little did I know that it would go on to spark excitement throughout my local community, and further to that, I had no idea that doing something that has made others so happy would ignite such joy within myself. The happiness I feel when a group of four-year-olds who visit the library each week whilst out on their bush kinder walk is immense; hearing their excited squeals as they approach brings absolute contentment. Three years on and it is still going strong with books coming and going through the kindness of others who pay it forward.

One day I would find a beautiful little book in my library called 365 Days of Wonder - Words of Wisdom for Every Day by R.J. Palacio. R.J. Palacio is also the author of Wonder, the New York Times best-seller published in 2012 that would go on to be adapted to the big screen in 2017. Words of Wisdom for Every Day tells a story through the eyes of Mr. Browne, the English teacher from Wonder who would introduce his students to precepts. Merriam-Webster dictionary refers to a precept as a "command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action." Mr. Browne would introduce his students to precepts in simpler terms as "words to live by." Each Summer, Mr. Browne would ask his students to send him a postcard with a new precept of their own, with 365 Days of Wonder being a collection of the precepts collated over time.

Each month the book starts with a small chapter leading into another month of precepts, and August [my favourite chapter opener] is entitled Glitter, where Mr. Browne describes kindness like glitter.

"So here's the thing about glitter: once it's out of the bottle, there's just no way of putting it back. It's the same with kindness. Once it pours out of your soul, there's no way of containing it. It just continues to spread from person to person, a shining, sparkling, wonderful thing. Kindness can spread from person to person like glitter. Anyone who's ever introduced glitter into any kind of art project at school knows exactly what I speak. You can't shake it off you. You pass it on to the next person. Its sparkling remnants linger for days. And for each tiny dot you find, you know that a hundred more have seemingly vanished." ~ Mr. Browne

There's science to back Mr. Browne's sentiment that kindness spreads like glitter. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation share via a study by Jamil Zaki, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Standford University that "the positive effects of kindness are experienced in the brain of everyone who witnessed the act, improving their mood and making them significantly more likely to pay it forward." My street library is living proof, with dozens of good deeds creating a domino effect and improving the lives of the people who not only borrow books but pay it forward by leaving their own for another.

Science also supports that kindness is teachable. Dr. Ritchie Davidson, University of Wisconsin shares that “it’s kind of like weight training, we found that people can actually build up their compassion ‘muscle’ and respond to others’ suffering with care and a desire to help.” Kindness being teachable is also supported by The Kindness Curriculum, an education program instilling the genuine values of kindness from an early age and helping young people reap the associated physical, emotional and mental health benefits of kindness. The Kindness Curriculum, a partnership bringing together Kath Koschel's Kindness Factory and Kaplan’s academic and learning expertise has "developed, sourced and collated activities that teachers, schools and parents can use to scaffold inquiry-styled conversations with students and build knowledges associated with kindness."

"Our goal is to contribute to, promote and enhance the global kindness movement, touching the lives of all humans" ~ Kath Koschel

Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D., Associate Professor Emeritus from the University of Illinois at Springfield also supports that kindness can be learned, stating that kindness isn't an automatic reflex for some, "nature accounts for just 50 percent of our tendency to be kind. It may come naturally to some. People born with the personality trait of empathy are kinder than others. We learn kindness from our parents, our family, and our community. We can also teach ourselves. It is a skill we can strengthen, much as we would build muscle."

When we think about kindness we often associate it with feelings about how we interact with others, but do you give a lot of thought to how kind you are to yourself? I can honestly say that I am a major work in progress in this space. Reading through my journal there are so many examples of things I would never in a million years say to another, but freely let loose on myself! In her book The Art of Kindness, author and illustrator Meredith Gaston Masnata speaks of the importance of giving thought to the things we think and feel about ourselves and how practicing kindness as self-care can bring a greater sense of relaxation, resilience and fulfilment within ourselves.

"Over time as we come to know a kinder inner voice and see ourselves through kinder eyes, we experience the self-respect and self-worth we deserve to know" ~ Meredith Gaston Masnata

As you take on board what you've read today think about the opportunities available to spread some of your own glitter - it can be as simple as standing up for a friend, writing someone you love a handwritten note, giving someone a compliment, donating some old clothes to charity, calling someone you haven't spoken to in a while or hugging a loved one. Take note of that oxytocin rush you'll feel when you thank another driver for letting you pass first, or for the day you'll make for the stranger you smile and say hello to when you pass them on the street. Think of the things you'll be decreasing too - the stress, anxiety, depression and blood pressure that can all be lowered with simple acts of kindness. And don't forget to be kind to yourself too!

Mindful moment: Go forth and freely spread glitter so the world shines and sparkles just a little more than it did before!

"One moment can change a day, one day can change a life, and one life can change the world" ~ Buddha

#bekind

Kindness Resources

• Head to Kindness the book - Kath Koschel to buy a copy of her inspiring book.
• Buy a set of Play Kind Cards to inspire daily acts of kindness. Play Kind Cards are designed to be a fun social experience, breaking down barriers and encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone.
• Read about kindness at work, home and school and the science behind kindness at The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Welcome
• To learn more about The Kindness Curriculum head to Home - The Kindness Curriculum
• Check out all of Meredith Gaston Masnata's beautiful books here - About - Meredith Gaston Masnata
• Read Wonder by R.J. Palacio - Wonder by R. J. Palacio | 9780552565974 | Booktopia
• Read 365 Days of Wonder by R.J. Palacio - 365 Days of Wonder, Mr. Browne's Precepts by R. J. Palacio | 9780399559181 | Booktopia

All thoughts my own.

I am not paid by, or personally affiliated with any of the above-mentioned resources, they are simply some of my favourites.

Love Sal xo