ENID, OK - Monday, November 13 is World Kindness Day. Created in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a conglomeration of kindness organizations around the world, this unofficial holiday encourages people to be kind to each other and spread happiness, joy and peace through kindness.
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Considered to be a virtue, and valued in most societies and religions as an important quality, kindness is the act of being considerate, compassionate and empathetic towards other people and living beings.
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A prime example of of being kind took place in Enid, Oklahoma over the weekend. Jeff Rust and Heather Seidl were up late Saturday night when Seidl decided to make a run to the local McDonalds. As she was at the restaurant in the wee hours of the morning a young woman knocked on her car window.
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The girl explained that she was from Texas and did not have a home. She said she was 18 years old and was walking with nowhere to go. Seidl, being a mother, decided she couldn't leave the girl at the hands of someone else that might pick her up.
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Seidl contacted Rust who immediately invited the girl to stay at his home. He wanted to make sure she stayed put overnight in a safe environment. The two Enid residents let the girl shower, eat and stay at Rust's home. Rust even washed the girls clothes seeing that they were very dirty. Rust posted the situation on Facebook and was told he could take the girl to the YWCA.
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After getting a short amount of sleep Rust spent a long while just talking to the girl and then took her to the YWCA. It wasn't long after he returned that Rust found out through a Facebook post that the girl was actually a 15 year old runaway from Enid. She was eventually reunited with her family who had reported her missing to the Enid Police Department. They contacted Rust and Seidl thanking them for their act of kindness.
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We all get so busy in our own little worlds that at times we miss or completely ignore those around us that might need a helping hand. This story is a great example of how taking the time to help someone most likely prevented the situation from ending badly.
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Why not be a ‘RAKtivist’? That's short for ‘Random Acts of Kindness activist’. Think of RAKtivists like kindness ambassadors. They are everywhere. The student who stops to hold the door open for a teacher with her hands full? That person is a RAKtivist. The commuter who offers their bus seat to an elderly passenger? That person is a RAKtivist too. The parking attendant who leaves a note on someone’s car, complimenting their parking skills? You guessed it: RAKtivist.
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Take a little time today and do a random act of kindness for someone. Sometimes it's the small gestures that can brighten someones day and help change the world. Below are a few suggestions on how to celebrate World Kindness Day.
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• Be kind and do random acts of kindness.
• Smile at strangers and do kind things for them. Give up your seat on the bus to someone else. Buy someone’s coffee for them. Volunteer your time at the local soup kitchen. Leave a kind note for someone.
• Kindness should not only be reserved for our fellow human beings. Be kind to the animals and to the environment as well.
• If you have children in your life, teach them the virtue of kindness by practicing it in your daily life.
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Researchers have discovered a positive feedback loop between happiness and kindness. Undertaking acts of kindness makes people happy, and people who are happy tend to be kinder to others.
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Enid Duo Commits Random Act of Kindness
