Walking across Central Park one morning, a young man was riding one of the very large lawn mowers used to cut the grass.  He was mowing the Great Lawn, a large open space with a number of baseball fields spread around the perimeter and lots of law in the center area of the lawn.  As I walked along, I heard a woman behind me talking to this young man.  She signaled him to turn off the mower and when he did she thanked him for the work he was doing to make the Great Lawn such a lovely place for so many people.

As I walked on, I was touched by her simple act of kindness – nothing she had to do, and yet a gift she felt moved to give to this young man.  I found myself pondering the ripple effects of this small act on her part, and how we never have even the slightest idea of what an act of kindness generates in the person who receives it.  I can imagine that her comment lightened his day, or at least allowed him to feel appreciated in that moment.

For this week’s experiment, I invite you – as I have many times – to notice the opportunities to commit random acts of kindness that emerge throughout any given day.  We have so many things to be grateful for and, when we take the time to thank the people who contribute to the quality of our lives, we generate a force that ripples out to touch many more people. 

And so, without looking for anything in return, notice what happens in you as you more actively generate ripples of kindness in your world.  You might notice the sensations in your body when you feel the urge to approach someone and express your gratitude, and then track how it feels when you actually do that.  I find that I often experience an afterglow, a sense of warmth and connection that emerges when I take the time to thank someone for whatever it might be that they are doing.  For example, I feel deep gratitude to the people who pick up the trash.  It is such a big and important job in a city like New York and having trash pickup adds greatly to the quality of life here.  I feel the same way about the bus and taxi drivers, along with the conductors on the subway.  Countless people contribute to my quality of life and I feel moved to thank them whenever possible.

As with all these experiments, the invitation here is to be ever more consciously aware of how you move through your life – the choices you make, the things you act on, or don’t, and how you feel as you do whatever it is you do.  Please remember to bring curiosity along as your constant companion and to pat judgments on the head as you allow them to float on by.