Random Acts of Kindness

This collection of "quotable quotes" and super short stories contains some of the usual quotes you expect to find, but also some "new" ones; at least they were new to me. The book is a very quick read and worth it for the unique and inspirational nuggets within. Thank you to Linda for sharing. ( )

When I was very young I wondered how "older" people became so cranky and so disenchanted with life. Now that I've crossed the threshold of becoming one of the "older" people, I sometimes marvel that it is a miracle if, after weathering so much, we don't naturally become cranky.

After a post Christmas crisis with a few of my partner's family members from his father's side -- those on his mother's side are lovely, kind, sensitive and considerate -- I realized that I no longer want to be around nasty, negative people. I felt abused and beaten down, and after tolerating this behavior for far too long, I said enough, and now I refuse to be around these two incredibly unkind and wicked folk.

When I found this book, it seemed to be just what I needed, ie, a reminder that there are many who are kind and dare to pay a price for their kindness. And, I do firmly believe that there is a price we pay if we are kind and sensitive.

At the risk of waxing philosophically, I'm going out on a limb to say that far too often in life it seems that the negative, snippy, back stabbers blithely go through life without paying a price for those them harm.

While some of the quotes and stories in this book are trite, there are gems of wisdom scattered throughout. In remembering those who have helped me along the way, I quote the following:

"One can never pay in gratitude; one can only pay "in kind" somewhere else in life."
Anne Morrow Lindberg

"When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people."
Abraham Heschel ( )

#28, 2006

I believe this was the book that started the whole movement, and as such it deserves a lot of respect just for that alone. I enjoyed reading it, especially the quotes about kindness and love and things like that. Some of the stories were very moving – a few brought tears to my eyes. Others, though, didn’t move me that much. Still, it was an interesting book, and quick to read through. I’m going to release it somewhere through BookCrossing soon. ( )

A neat idea, and a sweet book. ( )