Travelling to Hong Kong, I wanted to write about overcommitment and instead watched the film “Batkid Begins”. If you’re like me, you may not have heard about the film but I bet you’ve heard about the story. Miles, a 5-year-old boy defying leukaemia, was fortunate to be granted his wish by the Make A Wish Foundation: he wanted to be Batman! San Francisco became Gotham City in 2013 and thousands of people saw this little boy fight evil. Such an uplifting and touching documentary!
If one little boy had the power to make all these adults happy, what power would two, fifteen or hundreds of children have to make this world a better place? Over the last 2 weeks, we’ve seen too many bloody attacks across the globe. People were shocked, intimidated, yet determined to not give up and continue living their lives. What if there are small steps to improve our surroundings?
There’s an old saying: Charity starts at home. Home doesn’t need to be your actual home but can be your neighbourhood, your suburb, your city or your region.
The most basic acts of kindness seem to be forgotten so easily. A smile, a “hello” or a “thank you”, a compliment, they all can make such a difference in someone’s day. It doesn’t take much, yet, we don’t say or do it. What can you do?
While writing this blog, I hear the Christmas carols in the background. The festive season will be upon soon and we’re asked to be gentle to our environment. What are you doing to help others? Do you ever look after elderly neighbours and check if they’re okay if you haven’t seen them in a while? If you live in colder temperatures, would you help a neighbour shovelling snow? Coffee Cups and Crayons have prepared a fantastic Random Acts of Christmas Kindness Calendar for you.
A lot of companies are encouraging their employees to volunteer these days. It could be an annual event like Adopt a Camp or a regular activity at your kid’s school. Ask your HR team what activities your company supports and what you can do.
Various communities now also organise events to make them more beautiful. Planting flowers and trees, picking up litter, setting up recycling containers, there are all kinds of projects going on. Find out from your home owner’s association how you can get involved.
Disasters strike throughout the year and donations can help the affected. Cash donations are probably made most often. However, in kind donations may be requested for local needs and charities and relief organisations provide lists with the required items (e.g. blankets, milk powder, medicine). If you’ve specific skills in areas like medicine, IT or logistics, you could also donate your time and help with the disaster recovery.
Being kind doesn’t take a lot. Whether it’s letting someone else go ahead in a queue, help a sick neighbour, complimenting someone on the outstanding service provided or volunteering your time at a local shelter, there are plenty of options to make a difference. Like Miles on his special day as Batkid, we all can restore humanity. What’s stopping you? Are you already involved in your community?
Until next time,
Agni