Kindness is Planting a Tree

Kindness is doing something that is thoughtful and beneficial. Taking care of our planet by planting trees falls into that category.

Several years ago, some ladies from my church and I went camping at Smudea campground in Northern California.. One of the activities was to plant seedling trees. It was a meaningful time for all of us. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to plant more trees.

I don’t think you can have too many trees in any city.

My city is having a tree planting event on Saturday, March 28. My daughter and I are going. Want to join us? The details are below

March 28 — Cordova Meadows Neighborhood & Taylor Park Planting

Saturday, March 28 8:45A – 12:00P

Join us in planting trees in the Cordova Meadows area of Rancho Cordova! The trees we plant will improve mental health, create more breathable air, and reduce negative health outcomes such as asthma and cardiac disease!

Go here for more information.

Your Turn . . . Have you ever planted seedling trees? … Been to a tree planting party? … Do you know the song about Johnny Appleseed?

Related Posts …

• How did Sacramento Get So Many Trees
• From Sticks to Twig Christmas Tree (FruitfulWords)
• Making Origami Christmas Trees at CNC (FruitfulWords)

You can practice being kind by leaving me a comment. 

My Landing Page for This series . . . Sprinkling Kindness: A 31 Day Adventure.  Please leave me an idea or two that I can add to my acts of kindness list. The idea can be intentional or random.

Thanks go to Elizabeth Symington for making my #Write31Days button and basic graphic for the kindness quotes. Elizabeth wrote a 31 days series on Summer of Service in Yosemite.

Kindness is Gifting a Banana

Scroll down for the Landing Page (aka Table of Contents) information for this Kindness series.

So many of us like to show affection by gifting food to others.

1. We bring a cake to the office, just because.
2. We take two dozen, straight-out-of- the-oven cookies to our next door neighbor.
3. We fill a container with tasty leftovers for a single person at our church.

This sounds nice, right? Not always.

• If your office workmates are on a diet, your cake is a hindrance.
• If your neighbor is vegan and your cookies have eggs and butter, this gesture is not welcome.
• If your single friend just doesn’t like leftovers, this food gift will annoy them.

In each of these cases, the food will be wasted. You may be considered inconsiderate if they expressed their wishes of not eating certain foods and you forced your gift anyways. Feelings could be hurt because the recipient thought you were not being kind.

My sister recently hung a banana on my office doorknob. (We work in the same building.)  I’d say my sister was being kind because really I shouldn’t eat candy on account of my diabetes.

Kindness is being . . .

• attentive,
• considerate,
• friendly, and
• thoughtful.

It was attentive, considerate, friendly, and thoughtful that she didn’t give me a sugar-laden treat.

And to top it off, this banana had freckles. I enjoy freckled bananas. Jenny prefers her bananas freckle-free. So we both benefitted from her thoughtful, kind act.

It is kind to follow the food preferences of our family and friends. If they don’t eat gluten, salad, meat, or whatever, don’t try to change their palettes. We don’t have to agree with or understand their choices or their reasons. Let’s be kind by supporting one another’s food decisions.

Your Turn . . . 

• When was the last time someone pushed food on you that you didn’t appreciate? How did that make you feel?
• When was the last time someone gifted you food that you did appreciate? How did that make you feel?
• Would you like to make a change in this area? If yes, what will you do.

Related Posts . . .

• 5 Reasons Salad is a Bother
• Food Should be Safe & Fun Besides Tasty
• How Church is Like Ice Cream

And to top it off, this banana had freckles. I enjoy freckled bananas. Jenny prefers her bananas freckle-free. So we both benefitted from her thoughtful, kind act.

It is kind to follow the food preferences of our family and friends. If they don’t eat gluten, salad, leftovers, or whatever, don’t try to change their minds. We don’t have to agree with or understand their choices or their reasons. Let’s be kind by supporting one another’s food decisions.

Your Turn . . . 

• When was the last time someone pushed food on you that you didn’t appreciate? How did that make you feel?
• When was the last time someone gifted you food that you did appreciate? How did that make you feel?
• Would you like to make a change in this area? If yes, what will you do?

Related Posts . . .

• 5 Reasons Salad is a Bother
• Food Should be Safe & Fun Besides Tasty
• How Church is Like Ice Cream

You can practice being kind by leaving me a comment. 

Please leave me an idea or two that I can add to my acts of kindness list. The idea can be intentional or random.

_____________________________________________

Want to know what other acts of Kindness are on the list? Go to my Landing Page . . . Scattering Kindness: A 31 Day Adventure of Intentional & Random Acts of Service.  

 

 

Kindness is Sitting With Someone

On most Sundays, a majority of people sit in the same spot at church. They do this out of habit, so they can see or hear better, so they can socialize with their seat buddies, or so they can leave the sanctuary mid-service (for a potty break or to tend a child) without disturbing a lot of people.

Plus, doing so brings pleasant feelings. Regularly sitting in the same area gives people a sense of belonging and familiarity. These feelings enhance the worship experience.

If you are new, shy, or haven’t made friends yet, you probably don’t have a set seat. And worse yet, if you take someone’s set-seat, sometimes you are given a frown or shooed away. All this can lead to feeling like an outsider.

Let me suggest one thing. The next time you go to church, sit with someone who is alone. Or invite him/her to sit with you. Doing this sends the message that you are inviting him/her into your sphere of friends. It is a kind thing to do.

Kindness is making a point to sit with someone who is alone.

Need a refresher on what kindness looks like? Kindness is caring, considerate, friendly, hospitable, observant. A kind person wants others to feel like they, too, belong.

Your Turn . . .

1. Do you have a special spot you like to sit when you attend church?
2. How do you feel when someone sits there?
3. When was the last time you purposefully sat with someone who was alone?
4. Tell about a time someone did that for you.

Related Posts . . .

• 5 Reasons I Love My Church
• 9 Ways to Make Church Attendance More Meaningful
• 10 Reasons Why Involvement in Your Church Nursery is Important
• How Ice Cream is Like Church
• Sending Thanks to a Church Attendee – Gratitude Project

You can practice being kind by leaving me a comment. 

Please leave me an idea or two that I can add to my acts of kindness list. The idea can be intentional or random.

_____________________________________________

Want to know what other acts of Kindness are on the list? Go to my Landing Page . . . Scattering Kindness: A 31 Day Adventure of Intentional & Random Acts of Service.